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戒毒 (jiè dú) — to quit drugs, to kick a drug habit

Definition

戒毒 means specifically to break free from drug addiction — a habitual, recovery-focused act. Pairs with 戒 (to quit/give up a habit) plus 毒 (drugs/narcotics).

verb
to quit drugsto kick a drug habit

Examples

  • 戒毒。
    Tā yòng le sān nián shí jiān cái chéng gōng jiè dú.
    It took him three years to successfully quit drugs.
  • ，。
    Tā yǐ jīng jiè le dú, xiàn zài shēng huó hěn jiàn kāng.
    She has already quit drugs and now lives a very healthy life.
  • 戒毒，。
    Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ bāng zhù nǐ jiè dú, dàn bù néng wán quán yī lài tā.
    This medicine can help you quit drugs, but you can't rely on it completely.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

戒jièquit
毒dúdrugs

“戒” means to quit and “毒” means drugs, so together they describe quitting drug use.

Characters in this word

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

  • 戈戈gēhalberd
  • 廾廾gǒnghands

戒 shows 廾 (hands) and 戈 (a halberd) together: hands holding up a weapon as a warning.

Open 戒 →

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
屮屮chèvegetation
Sound part声符shēngfú
毐
毐ǎi毒dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

毒 pairs 屮, a plant part, with 毐 as a sound part; this form was used for a poisonous plant.

Open 毒 →
Appears in
Medicine & Treatment

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