TongTong
Sign in

抛锚 (pāo máo) — to drop anchor, to cast anchor; (of a vehicle) to break down

Definition

Literally 'cast anchor' for ships, but commonly used to mean a vehicle breaks down and stops working — a more vivid alternative to 出故障.

verb
to drop anchorto cast anchor(of a vehicle) to break down

Examples

  • 抛锚。
    Chuán zài hǎi gǎng pāo máo le.
    The ship dropped anchor in the harbor.
  • 。
    Nà liàng chē zài gāo sù shàng pāo guò yí cì máo.
    That car broke down once on the highway.
  • 抛锚，。
    Bā shì pāo máo zài bàn lù shang, chéng kè zhǐ hǎo děng xià yí liàng.
    The bus broke down halfway, and the passengers had to wait for the next one.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

抛pāodrop
锚máoanchor

抛 means drop and 锚 means anchor; the vehicle sense comes from a boat dropping its anchor.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 拋; 抛 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 拋, not 抛, shows 手 (hand), 尤, and 力 (power).

Open 抛 →

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 錨; 锚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
苗
苗miáo錨máo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錨 uses 金 for metal and 苗 for sound.

Open 锚 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.