奴役 (nú yì) — enslave

Definition

verb
enslave

Examples

  • ,奴役。
    Zài lì shǐ shàng, nú lì zhǔ nú yì le chéng qiān shàng wàn de rén.
    In history, slave owners enslaved tens of thousands of people.
  • 奴役。
    Zhè ge ruò xiǎo mín zú céng bèi qiáng dà de dì guó nú yì.
    This small and weak nation was once enslaved by a powerful empire.
  • 奴役。
    Méi yǒu rén yǒu quán nú yì lìng yí gè rén.
    No one has the right to enslave another person.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

奴núslave
役yìforced labor

奴 and 役 both suggest treating someone as a slave or forced laborer.

Characters in this word

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

奴 shows 又 (a hand) and 女 (a woman): a hand capturing and ordering a woman around.

Open 奴 →

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

  • 彳彳chìmovement; action
  • 殳殳shūa weapon, like a spear

役 pairs 彳 (movement) with 殳 (a weapon like a spear) to show someone moving with a weapon to guard a border, giving the idea of a duty or task.

Open 役 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.