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折回 (zhé huí) — to turn back; to retrace one's steps

Definition

折回 (shé) is not the everyday 折 zhé ('fold/break'); when read shé it means 'to turn back / retrace one's steps' on a journey. It usually implies a deliberate reversal of direction mid-route.

verb
to turn backto retrace one's steps

Examples

  • ，折回。
    Zǒu dào bàn lù, tā tū rán jué dìng zhé huí.
    Halfway there, he suddenly decided to turn back.
  • ，折回。
    Qián miàn méi lù le, wǒ men zhǐ hǎo zhé huí.
    There was no road ahead, so we had to turn back.
  • ，折回。
    Tā fā xiàn yào shi wàng dài le, zhǐ néng zhé huí qù qǔ.
    He realized he forgot his keys, so he had to go back to get them.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

折zhéturn
回huíback

“折” gives the sense of turning and “回” gives the sense of back, so the word means to turn back or retrace one's steps.

Characters in this word

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

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →
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