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扎根 (zhā gēn) — (literal, of plants) to take root; (figurative) to become established, to settle down deeply (in a place, community, or among people)

Definition

扎 (zhā) + 根 (root) literally means 'to plant roots': first, for plants taking root in soil, then figuratively for people, ideas, or work becoming firmly established in a place.

verb
(literal, of plants) to take root(figurative) to become establishedto settle down deeply (in a place, community, or among people)

Examples

  • 扎根。
    Zhè kē xiǎo shù zhōng yú zhā gēn le.
    This young tree has finally taken root.
  • 扎根，。
    Tā jué dìng zhā gēn zài nóng cūn, bāng zhù dāng dì fā zhǎn.
    He decided to settle down in the countryside and help local development.
  • ，。
    Zhè zhǒng xīn sī xiǎng yǐ jīng zhā xià le gēn, hěn nán gǎi biàn le.
    This new way of thinking has already taken root and is hard to change.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

扎zhādrive or insert
根gēnroot

扎 suggests driving or inserting, and 根 is root, giving the sense of taking root.

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
乙
乙yǐ扎zhā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

扎 is built from 手 (hand) and 乙, which gives the sound.

Open 扎 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn根gēn(r)
Same sound today

根 pairs 木 (tree/wood), pointing to plant roots, with 艮 as a sound part.

Open 根 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsPlants & Flowers

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