游击 (yóu jī) — to fight guerrilla warfare, to operate as guerr… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A military term meaning to fight as a guerrilla — using small, mobile units in hit-and-run tactics rather than conventional battles. As a verb it pairs with 战/战争, not with ordinary objects.

verb

to fight guerrilla warfareto operate as guerrillas

Examples

游击。
Tā men zài shān qū yóu jī le sān nián.
They fought guerrilla warfare in the mountains for three years.
游击，。
Zhè zhī duì wu shàn cháng yóu jī, yǐ líng huó jī dòng zhù chēng.
This unit excels at guerrilla warfare and is known for its agility.
游击，。
Jīng guò cháng qī yóu jī, tā men zuì zhōng qǔ dé le shèng lì.
After prolonged guerrilla warfare, they eventually achieved victory.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

击jīstrike

游 roaming describes the way 击 attacks are made.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

斿

斿yóu游yóu

Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

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 擊; 击 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

毄

毄jī擊jī

Same sound today

The traditional form 擊 has 手 (hand) and 毄; 毄 gives the sound and also points to striking, while the simplified 击 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Military & Defense

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.