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驻足 (zhù zú) — to stop (walking) (often to admire or take notice)

Definition

Literary verb meaning to halt one's steps, usually to look or admire. Unlike the everyday 停, it specifically refers to stopping while walking and is essentially synonymous with 止步, but more often paired with an object of attention (e.g. ∼欣赏, ∼观看).

verb
to stop (walking) (often to admire or take notice)

Examples

  • 驻足。
    Tā zài huà láng qián zhù zú xīn shǎng yì fú huà.
    He stopped in front of the gallery to admire a painting.
  • ，驻足。
    Yóu kè men bèi měi lì de fēng jǐng xī yǐn, fēn fēn zhù zú pāi zhào.
    The tourists were attracted by the beautiful scenery and stopped one after another to take photos.
  • 驻足，。
    Wǒ zhù zú piàn kè, rán hòu jì xù qián xíng.
    I paused for a moment, then continued on my way.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

驻zhùstop
足zúfoot

驻 means stop and 足 means foot, so it describes stopping one's steps.

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 駐; 驻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ駐zhù
Same sound today

The traditional form 駐 uses 馬, a horse, for the meaning and 主 to give the sound; the simplified 驻 is a shorthand.

Open 驻 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Daily Routine

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