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避暑 (bì shǔ) — to escape the summer heat (by going somewhere cooler or taking preventive measures)

Definition

避暑 means to escape summer heat by traveling to a cooler place (seaside, mountains). Unlike the general 避 ('avoid'), it is a fixed compound specifically tied to summer and cooling off.

verb
to escape the summer heat (by going somewhere cooler or taking preventive measures)

Examples

  • 避暑。
    Tā měi nián xià tiān dōu qù hǎi biān bì shǔ.
    He goes to the seaside every summer to escape the heat.
  • 避暑。
    Qù běi fāng chéng shì bì shǔ shì gè hǎo zhǔ yì.
    Going to northern cities to escape the heat is a good idea.
  • 避暑。
    Hěn duō rén xuǎn zé dào shān qū bì shǔ dù jià.
    Many people choose to go to mountain areas for a summer getaway.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

避bìavoid
暑shǔsummer heat

避 means to avoid, and 暑 means summer heat; together they describe escaping the heat.

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chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì避bì
Same sound today

避 is built from 辶, a walking-related form, plus 辟, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 避 →

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
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě暑shǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

暑 is built from 日, which carries the meaning, and 者, which carries the sound.

Open 暑 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Climate & Seasons

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