求饶 (qiú ráo) — to beg for mercy | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

求饶 (qiú ráo) means to beg for mercy — to plead with someone in a stronger position to stop hurting or punishing you. Common in physical or conflict contexts (being beaten, losing a fight).

verb

to beg for mercy

Examples

，求饶。
Kàn dào duì fāng rén duō, tā mǎ shàng qiú ráo le.
Seeing the other side had more people, he immediately begged for mercy.
，。
Tā bèi dǎ dé shòu bù liǎo, zhōng yú qiú le ráo.
He couldn't bear the beating any longer and finally begged for mercy.
求饶。
Dí rén guì zài dì shàng yí gè jìn r dì qiú ráo.
The enemy knelt on the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

“求” is to beg, and “饶” is mercy, so the action is begging for mercy.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

求 began as a drawing of a centipede.

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 饒; 饶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

堯

堯yáo饒ráo

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

The traditional form 饒 uses 食 (food) for meaning and 堯 for sound; the simplified 饶 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Conflict & Agreement

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