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下马 (xià mǎ) — to dismount from a horse; (figurative) to discontinue, to abandon (a project or scheme)

Definition

Literally 'dismount from a horse'; in modern use it means a high-level decision to abandon or shut down a project or initiative. Often used for official, large-scale cancellations rather than small plans.

verb
to dismount from a horse(figurative) to discontinueto abandon (a project or scheme)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā gāng xià le mǎ, jiù tīng dào yǒu rén jiào tā.
    He had just dismounted when he heard someone calling him.
  • 。
    Nà ge dà xíng xiàng mù yīn wèi zī jīn wèn tí zuì zhōng xià le mǎ.
    That large-scale project was eventually discontinued due to funding problems.
  • 下马。
    Tā men jué dìng ràng zhè ge jì huà xià mǎ.
    They decided to abandon this plan.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

下xiàget off
马mǎhorse

下 and 马 combine as getting off a horse, extended to stopping a project.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →
Appears in
Change & Process

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