闸 (zhá) — (noun) brake (on a vehicle); (noun) sluice gate; lock (on a waterway); (noun) electric switch or circuit breaker
Definition
闸 covers a physical mechanism that controls flow or power — a water gate, a vehicle's brake, or an electrical switch/breaker. Unlike 锁, it controls passage or current, not security. Vs 刹车, 闸 is more often a noun for the device itself.
noun
brake (on a vehicle)sluice gatelock (on a waterway)electric switch or circuit breaker
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 闸。Zì xíng chē de zhá bú tài líng mǐn le.The brake on the bike is not very responsive.
- 。Shuǐ zhá kě yǐ kòng zhì hé liú de shuǐ liàng.A sluice gate can control the water flow of a river.
- ，。Tiào zhá hòu, zhěng gè fáng jiān dōu hēi le.After the circuit breaker tripped, the whole room went dark.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 閘; 闸 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méngate
Sound part声符shēngfú
甲
甲jiǎ閘zhá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 閘 pairs 門 (gate) with 甲, which gives the sound; the simplified 闸 is not the form described here.
Appears in
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