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制止 (zhì zhǐ) — to stop, to curb, to check (an action or situation)

Definition

制止 is to actively stop or put an end to something already happening, stronger and more decisive than 限制 ('to restrict/limit'). Close to 遏制 but 制止 usually targets a specific behavior or act rather than a broader force.

verb
to stopto curbto check (an action or situation)

Examples

  • 制止。
    Zhèng fǔ bì xū zhì zhǐ zhè zhǒng làng fèi zī yuán de xíng wéi.
    The government must put a stop to this wasteful behavior.
  • 制止。
    Lǎo shī jí shí zhì zhǐ le jiào shì lǐ de zhēng chǎo.
    The teacher promptly stopped the quarrel in the classroom.
  • 制止。
    Guó jì shè huì yīng gāi zhì zhǐ zhè zhǒng bú zhèng dāng jìng zhēng.
    The international community should curb this unfair competition.

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zhìto restrain; to control
止zhǐto stop

制 and 止 both mean to stop or restrain, so 制止 expresses curbing an action.

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 →

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

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

Open 止 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

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