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让道 (ràng dào) — to give way, to make way (for someone)

Definition

让道 means to step aside or yield the path so someone can pass — used literally for traffic and pedestrians (notice 例2 inserts 个: 让个道). Often interchangeable with 让路, but 让路 also extends figuratively to "make concessions."

verb
to give wayto make way (for someone)

Examples

  • 让道，。
    Qián miàn de chē ràng dào le, wǒ men kuài zǒu ba.
    The car ahead made way, let's go quickly.
  • ，。
    Má fan nín ràng gè dào, wǒ gǎn shí jiān.
    Could you please make way? I'm in a hurry.
  • ，让道。
    Zài yōng jǐ de jiē dào shàng, xíng rén yīng gāi gěi chē liàng ràng dào.
    On crowded streets, pedestrians should give way to vehicles.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

让ràngyield
道dàoway

让 means to yield, and 道 means road or way, so the word means yielding the way.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 讓; 让 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
襄
襄xiāng讓ràng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讓 combines 言, showing speech, with 襄, giving the sound; the evidence links it to criticizing or reproaching. The simplified 让 is a later shorthand.

Open 让 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
Roads & Traffic

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