TongTong
Sign in

追尾 (zhuī wěi) — to tailgate; to rear-end (hit the car in front, typically as a result of tailgating)

Definition

Driving term: to rear-end the car in front (a collision), not just following too closely. Used for the actual crash, often in traffic-accident reports.

verb
to tailgateto rear-end (hit the car in front, typically as a result of tailgating)

Examples

  • 追尾，。
    Kāi chē shí bú yào zhuī wěi, hěn wēi xiǎn.
    Don't tailgate when driving; it's very dangerous.
  • 追尾。
    Zuó tiān gāo sù shàng fā shēng le sān qǐ zhuī wěi shì gù.
    Three rear-end collisions occurred on the highway yesterday.
  • 追尾。
    Tā yīn wèi zhuī wěi bèi fá le liǎng bǎi kuài qián.
    He was fined 200 yuan for tailgating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

追zhuīpursue
尾wěitail

追 means chase and 尾 means tail; together they picture chasing the tail of the vehicle ahead.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂤
𠂤𠂤追zhuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 辶 part shows movement, while 𠂤 gives the sound, for the sense of moving after or pursuing.

Open 追 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The form 尾 combines 尸 (person) and 毛 (hair; feather).

Open 尾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Roads & TrafficSafety & Danger

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