遏 (è) — to restrain; to suppress; to check (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 遏制, 遏止)
Definition
A formal, written verb meaning 'to check, suppress, curb' — always bound in modern use, almost never seen alone. It mainly appears in the set compounds 遏制, 遏止, and 遏抑 (literary).
bound form
to restrainto suppressto check (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 遏制, 遏止)
Easily confused
- 暹xiānlook-alikeused in 暹罗 (Xiān Luó), the former Chinese name for Siam/Thailand
- 呃èsound-alike(interjection) uh, um (used to indicate hesitation, doubt, or a pause in speech)
- 饿èsound-alikehungry
- 恶èsound-alikeevil, wicked
- 厄èsound-alike(bound form) strategic pass or place
- 鳄èsound-alikecrocodile; alligator (morpheme, used as part of compound words)
Examples
- 。Zhèng fǔ cǎi qǔ le yí xì liè cuò shī lái è zhì tōng huò péng zhàng.The government adopted a series of measures to curb inflation.
- 。Zhè chǎng dà huǒ zhōng yú bèi è zhǐ le.This big fire was finally stopped.
- 。Tā nǔ lì è zhì zhù zì jǐ de fèn nù.He tried hard to suppress his anger.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé遏è
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The shape of 遏 combines 辵, a walking-related part, with 曷, which gives it a sound.
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