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闯荡 (chuǎng dàng) — to venture out to make a living; to make one's way in the world

Definition

闯荡 (chuǎngdàng) means to leave home and carve out a livelihood in the wider world — often with a sense of risk and adventure, more active than just 'working away' (打工).

verb
to venture out to make a livingto make one's way in the world

Examples

  • ，闯荡。
    Tā nián qīng shí lí kāi jiā xiāng, qù shàng hǎi chuǎng dàng le yì fān.
    When he was young, he left his hometown and ventured to Shanghai to make a living.
  • 闯荡，。
    Hěn duō nián qīng rén xuǎn zé chuǎng dàng jiāng hú, xún zhǎo zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.
    Many young people choose to roam the world and seek their dreams.
  • 闯荡，。
    Jīng guò jǐ nián de chuǎng dàng, tā zhōng yú yǒu le zì jǐ de gōng sī.
    After several years of making his way in the world, he finally had his own company.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

闯chuǎngventure
荡dàngroam

闯 suggests venturing out and 荡 suggests roaming, together describing making one's way in the world.

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 闖; 闯 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 闖 shows a horse rushing through a gate, which fits the modern sense of dashing; the simplified 闯 is a later shorthand.

Open 闯 →

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 蕩; 荡 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 荡 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 蕩; in others it is 盪.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
湯
湯tāng蕩dàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

About the traditional form 蕩: it is made of 艹 (grass, written fully as 艸) and 湯, which gives the sound. The simplified 荡 is only a later shorthand.

Open 荡 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsTravel & Tourism

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