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错车 (cuò chē) — to yield the right‑of‑way to oncoming traffic; to let another vehicle pass

Definition

A separable verb meaning to move aside and let an oncoming vehicle pass on a narrow road. Split it in the past tense: 错了一次车.

verb
to yield the right‑of‑way to oncoming trafficto let another vehicle pass

Examples

  • ，错车。
    Qián miàn de lù tài zhǎi, wǒ men dé zhǎo gè dì fāng cuò chē.
    The road ahead is too narrow; we need to find a place to give way.
  • ，。
    Gāng cái wǒ men cuò le yí cì chē, xiàn zài yòu dǔ zhù le.
    We just yielded once, and now it's blocked again.
  • 错车，。
    Shān lù shang cuò chē hěn wēi xiǎn, yào tè bié xiǎo xīn.
    Giving way on mountain roads is dangerous; be extra careful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

错cuòlet pass
车chēvehicle

错 means to let pass and 车 means vehicles, so together they describe yielding to oncoming vehicles.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 錯; 错 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī錯cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錯 pairs 金 (metal) with 昔 as a sound part; the simplified 错 is a later abbreviation.

Open 错 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →
Appears in
Roads & Traffic

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