辙 (zhé) — (lit.) wheel ruts, track marks left by a vehicle; (fig.) route, course (of travel or of events); way, method (esp. in idioms like 没辙, 有辙)
Definition
Literally the wheel ruts a cart leaves on a road, used figuratively in idioms like 没辙 ('stuck, out of options') and 有辙 ('have a way'). Almost always appears in these set phrases rather than standing alone.
noun
(lit.) wheel rutstrack marks left by a vehicle(fig.) routecourse (of travel or of events)waymethod (esp. in idioms like 没辙, 有辙)
Measure word · 道
Examples
- 。Xuě dì shàng liú xià le shēn shēn de chē zhé.Deep wheel ruts were left in the snow.
- 辙，。Wǒ men shùn zhe jiù zhé zǒu, hěn kuài jiù dào le.We followed the old route and arrived quickly.
- 。Zhè jiàn shì wǒ shí zài méi zhé le.I really have no way to handle this matter.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 轍; 辙 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūwagon
Sound part声符shēngfú
徹
徹chè轍zhé
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 轍 combines 車 (wagon) with a sound component 徹, and the meaning is wagon tracks; the simplified 辙 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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