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强迫 (qiǎng pò) — to compel, to force

Definition

强迫 means to force or compel someone to do something against their will. It is more formal than 逼 and pairs naturally with a passive 被 construction (被迫 = 'be forced'); 强制 and 迫使 are written/official registers.

verb
to compelto force

Examples

  • 强迫。
    Gōng sī qiǎng pò yuán gōng jiā bān.
    The company forces employees to work overtime.
  • 强迫。
    Tā bèi qiǎng pò zuò zì jǐ bù xǐ huan de shì.
    He was forced to do things he doesn't like.
  • 强迫。
    Méi yǒu rén néng qiǎng pò nǐ gǎi biàn zhǔ yì.
    No one can force you to change your mind.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

强qiángforce
迫pòpress

强 here means to force, and 迫 means to press hard, together giving coercion.

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 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái迫pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 迫 pairs the walking radical 辶 (written in full as 辵) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 迫 →
Appears in
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