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搁浅 (gē qiǎn) — (of a ship) to run aground, be stranded; (figurative) to stall, to be deadlocked (of plans, negotiations, etc.)

Definition

Literally '(of a ship) to run aground'; figuratively used for plans or negotiations that stall without breaking down — distinct from 破裂, which means relations have actually fallen apart.

verb
(of a ship) to run agroundbe stranded(figurative) to stallto be deadlocked (of plans, negotiations, etc.)

Examples

  • 搁浅。
    Nà sōu huò lún zài bào fēng yǔ zhōng gē qiǎn le.
    That cargo ship ran aground in the storm.
  • 搁浅。
    Shuāng fāng de mào yì tán pàn yīn guān shuì fēn qí ér gē qiǎn.
    The trade talks between the two sides stalled over tariff disagreements.
  • ，搁浅。
    Zhè ge chuàng yè xiàng mù quē fá hòu xù tóu zī, yǐ jīng gē qiǎn le.
    This startup project has run aground due to lack of follow-up funding.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

搁gēput or leave
浅qiǎnshallow place

搁 is to put or leave, and 浅 is a shallow place; together they describe a ship stuck in shallow water.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 搁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 淺; 浅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān淺qiǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 淺 pairs 氵 (water) with 戔 to give the sound; 浅 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 浅 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & ProcessBoats & Water Travel

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