撇下 (piē xia) — to abandon, to leave behind | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to abandon or leave behind (people, home, work). Implies walking away from something one is responsible for or attached to. Often paired with 放下 or 丢下 in similar contexts.

verb

to abandonto leave behind

Examples

撇下。
Tā piē xia xué yè qù gōng zuò le.
He abandoned his studies and went to work.
撇下。
Tā piē xia jiā xiāng bān dào le dà chéng shì.
She left her hometown behind and moved to a big city.
撇下。
Tā men piē xia lǎo fáng zi zài yě méi yǒu huí lái guò.
They abandoned the old house and never returned.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

撇piěcast aside

撇 means cast aside and 下 adds downward; together they express abandoning something behind.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

敝

敝bì撇piě

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

撇 uses 手 to show an action done with the hand and 敝 to give the pronunciation.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Appears in

Change & Process

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