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征途 (zhēng tú) — a long and arduous journey (often used in a formal or figurative sense)

Definition

A formal, often figurative 'journey' — emphasizes a long, challenging path toward a goal (a cause, career, or life). Pairs with 踏上 (tà shàng) to mean 'embark on', as in 踏上征途.

noun
a long and arduous journey (often used in a formal or figurative sense)

Examples

  • 征途。
    Gé mìng zhēng tú chōng mǎn le jiān nán xiǎn zǔ.
    The revolutionary journey is full of hardships and obstacles.
  • 征途，。
    Zài rén shēng de zhēng tú shàng, wǒ men dōu huì yù dào tiǎo zhàn.
    On life's journey, we all encounter challenges.
  • 征途。
    Tā men tà shàng le tàn suǒ wèi zhī de zhēng tú.
    They set out on a journey to explore the unknown.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

征zhēngtravel
途túroad

征, a long journey, specifies 途, road, to mean an arduous journey.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →

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
余
余yú途
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

途 is made from 辶 (written fully as 辵), a walking part, and 余, which gives the sound.

Open 途 →
Appears in
Travel & Tourism

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