TongTong
Sign in

通敌 (tōng dí) — to collude or collaborate with the enemy

Definition

A formal, written term for secretly working with an enemy (esp. in a war or political context). 敌 here is specifically 'the enemy', not a generic opponent.

verb
to collude or collaborate with the enemy

Examples

  • 通敌。
    tōng dí Xíng wéi shì jí qí yán zhòng de zuì xíng.
    Colluding with the enemy is an extremely serious crime.
  • 通敌，。
    Tā bèi zhǐ kòng tōng dí, miàn lín zhōng shēn jiān jìn.
    He was accused of colluding with the enemy and faces life imprisonment.
  • ，。
    Tā céng jīng tōng le yí cì dí, hòu lái bèi fā xiàn le.
    He once colluded with the enemy and was later discovered.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

通tōngcollude
敌díenemy

通 means collude and 敌 means enemy, so it describes secret contact with the enemy.

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chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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 敵; 敌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto tap; to hit
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì敵dí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敵 pairs 啻 as a sound part with 攴, a part for tapping or hitting.

Open 敌 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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