打砸抢 (dǎ zá qiǎng) — beating, smashing, and looting (as a pattern of mob violence or lawlessness)

Definition

A fixed three-character term meaning 'beating, smashing, and looting' as a single pattern of mob violence or rioting. Always used together; do not split or substitute the verbs. Often collocates with 行为 or 犯罪活动.

noun
beatingsmashingand looting (as a pattern of mob violence or lawlessness)

Examples

  • 打砸抢。
    Nà cì shì jiàn zhōng fā shēng le yán zhòng de dǎ zá qiǎng xíng wéi.
    Serious beating, smashing, and looting occurred during that incident.
  • 打砸抢。
    Zhèng fǔ yán lì dǎ jī dǎ zá qiǎng děng wéi fǎ fàn zuì huó dòng.
    The government cracks down hard on illegal and criminal activities such as beating, smashing, and looting.
  • 打砸抢。
    Lì shǐ shū shàng jì zǎi le nà duàn dǎ zá qiǎng de hùn luàn shí qī.
    History books record that chaotic period of beating, smashing, and looting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

打dǎbeat
砸zásmash
抢qiǎngloot

打, 砸 and 抢 are three acts of violence, together describing beating, smashing and looting.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng打dǎ
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.

Open 打 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 砸 →

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 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng搶qiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

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