打劫 (dǎ jié) — to rob; to loot; to plunder

Definition

verb

to robto lootto plunder

打劫。
Zuó tiān yín háng bèi dǎ jié le.
The bank was robbed yesterday.
打劫。
Tā men dǎ jié le yí gè lù rén.
They robbed a pedestrian.
打劫。
Nà huǒ dǎi tú dǎ jié le zhū bǎo diàn.
That gang of criminals robbed the jewelry store.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

打dǎperform

打 means perform and 劫 means robbery, so the word means to commit robbery.

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.

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

去力劫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìpower, force

Sound part声符shēngfú

去

去qù劫jié

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

劫 pairs 去, which gives the sound, with 力, meaning power or force.

Appears in