驱邪 (qū xié) — to exorcise evil spirits; to expel evil

Definition

A formal, often religious or ritual term meaning to drive out evil spirits or banish bad luck. 驱 stresses expelling or driving away; it is stronger and more literary than the plain verb 赶.

verb
to exorcise evil spiritsto expel evil

Examples

  • 。
    Cūn zi lǐ de rén měi nián dōu yào qū yí cì xié.
    The villagers exorcise evil spirits once a year.
  • 驱邪。
    Tā xiāng xìn qū xié kě yǐ dài lái hǎo yùn.
    He believes that exorcising evil can bring good luck.
  • 驱邪。
    Zhè wèi dà shī shàn cháng qū xié.
    This master is skilled at exorcising evil spirits.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

驱qūdrive away
邪xiéevil spirits

驱 means to drive away and 邪 means evil spirits, expelling evil.

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 驅; 驱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū驅qū
Same sound today

The traditional form 驅 pairs 馬 (horse) with 區 as a sound part; simplified 驱 is a later shorthand.

Open 驱 →

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
邑邑yìtown; city
Sound part声符shēngfú
牙
牙yá邪xié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

邪 puts 牙 beside 邑 (town; city): 牙 gives the sound, and 邑 shows it was first used in a place name. It was later used for strange or evil meanings.

Open 邪 →

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