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闭塞 (bì sè) — blocked, closed off (physically or metaphorically); remote and inaccessible (of a place); unenlightened, narrow-minded (of a person or mindset)

Definition

Adjective covering both physical isolation and figurative narrow-mindedness. For places, it stresses being cut off (e.g. 信息闭塞 'information-starved'); for people or thinking, it means closed-minded and unenlightened.

adjective
blockedclosed off (physically or metaphorically)remote and inaccessible (of a place)unenlightenednarrow-minded (of a person or mindset)

Examples

  • 闭塞，。
    Zhè ge shān cūn jiāo tōng bì sè, hěn shǎo rén lái.
    This mountain village is hard to reach by transportation; few people come.
  • 闭塞，。
    Tā sī xiǎng bì sè, bú yuàn yì jiē shòu xīn guān niàn.
    He is narrow-minded and unwilling to accept new ideas.
  • 闭塞。
    Xìn xī bì sè de dì qū hěn nán fā zhǎn jīng jì.
    Regions with blocked access to information find it hard to develop their economy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

闭bìclose
塞sāiblock

闭 means close, and 塞 means block; together they describe something closed off or inaccessible.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閉; 闭 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 材材cáimaterial; timber

The traditional form 閉 pairs 門 (door) with 材 (material; timber); the simplified 闭 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 闭 →

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 工工gōngtwo items
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

塞 combines 宀 (house), 工 (two items), and 廾 (two hands), showing hands stuffing items into a house.

Open 塞 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Geography & LandformsPersonality & Traits

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