痛击 (tòng jī) — to deliver a heavy blow; to attack fiercely | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning 'to strike hard' — physical attacks, military blows, or pointed criticism. Stronger than 打击, which can be neutral or refer to any attack.

verb

to deliver a heavy blowto attack fiercely

Examples

痛击。
Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng tòng jī le duì shǒu.
He delivered a heavy blow to his opponent in the match.
。
Jiě fàng jūn tòng jī le rù qīn zhě.
The PLA fiercely attacked the invaders.
。
Tā de pī píng tòng jī le wèn tí de hé xīn.
His criticism struck at the heart of the problem.

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.

痛tòngpainful

击jīstrike

Painful and strike combine to mean a fierce blow.

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.

疒甬痛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèillness

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng痛tòng

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

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

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

Conflict & Agreement

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