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制伏 (zhì fú) — to overpower, to subdue, to bring under control

Definition

制伏 (zhìfú) means to physically or mentally overpower someone or something and bring them under control. Note the spelling 制伏, not the homophone 制服 (zhìfú) 'uniform' — same pronunciation, different character and meaning.

verb
to overpowerto subdueto bring under control

Examples

  • 制伏。
    Jǐng chá zhōng yú zhì fú le nà ge zuì fàn.
    The police finally subdued that criminal.
  • 制伏。
    Xiāo fáng duì yuán hěn kuài zhì fú le dà huǒ.
    The firefighters quickly brought the big fire under control.
  • 制伏。
    Tā yòng zì jǐ de zhì huì zhì fú le duì shǒu.
    He used his wisdom to overpower his opponent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

制zhìrestrain
伏fúbring under control

制 means to restrain and 伏 to bring under control, so the two meanings combine for overpowering.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The form 制 pairs 朱 (tree) with 刀 (knife), showing the act of cutting a tree.

Open 制 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

伏 combines 人 (person) and 犬 (dog), as a dog beside a person or a person taking a dog's low posture, to show lying prostrate.

Open 伏 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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