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埋伏 (mái fú) — to ambush; to lie in wait for (someone/something)

Definition

埋伏 is to ambush — actively positioning (usually fighters) in hiding to attack. 隐藏 is simply concealing; 潜伏 means lurking or being latent (diseases/dangers), not an attack setup.

verb
to ambushto lie in wait for (someone/something)

Examples

  • 埋伏。
    Zhàn shì men zài shù lín lǐ mái fú dí rén.
    The soldiers ambushed the enemy in the woods.
  • 埋伏，。
    Tā men mái fú le yì zhěng tiān, dàn mù biāo shǐ zhōng méi chū xiàn.
    They lay in wait all day, but the target never showed up.
  • ，埋伏。
    Xiǎo xīn, qián miàn kě néng yǒu mái fú.
    Be careful, there might be an ambush ahead.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

埋máihide
伏fúlie low

Hiding and lying low combine to describe troops waiting in ambush.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎoplant
Sound part声符shēngfú
貍
貍lí埋mái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An earlier form paired 艹 (plant) with 貍 (lí) for sound. The form 埋 later shows earth with a sound part.

Open 埋 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Military & Defense

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