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冲动 (chōng dòng) — (noun) impulse, urge; (adjective) impulsive, impetuous

Definition

冲动 means a sudden urge or rash action (e.g. 别冲动, 一时冲动). Compared with 鲁莽 (reckless, bolder, causing real harm) and 急躁 (irritable, short-tempered), 冲动 highlights acting on a momentary whim without thinking.

noun
impulseurge
adjective
impulsiveimpetuous

Examples

  • 冲动，。
    Tā tài chōng dòng le, zǒng shì méi xiǎng hǎo jiù zuò.
    He is too impulsive, always acting without thinking.
  • 冲动，。
    Zhè shì yì shí de chōng dòng, bú shì zhēn xīn de.
    This is a momentary impulse, not sincere.
  • 冲动，。
    Bié chōng dòng, xiān lěng jìng yí xià.
    Don't be impulsive, calm down first.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

冲chōngsurge
动dòngstir

冲, to surge, and 动, to stir, together give the sense of a sudden urge.

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 衝; 冲 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 冲 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (冲, 冲动) it is 衝; in others (冲) it is 沖.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng衝chōng
Same sound today

The traditional form 衝 shows 重 inside 行, with 行 as the meaning part and 重 as the sound part; the simplified 冲 is a later shorthand.

Open 冲 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →
Appears in
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