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抢劫 (qiǎng jié) — to rob (a person or place); to loot (during unrest or disaster)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to rob' a person or place, especially a planned or violent robbery. Stronger than 抢 (snatch, grab on the spot) and more deliberate than 抢夺; the doer is 强盗.

verb
to rob (a person or place)to loot (during unrest or disaster)

Examples

  • 抢劫。
    Tā qiǎng jié yín háng de shí hou bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
    He was caught by the police while robbing a bank.
  • 抢劫。
    Bào tú zài sāo luàn zhōng qiǎng jié le duō jiā diàn pù.
    Rioters looted many shops during the unrest.
  • 抢劫。
    Tā men jì huà qiǎng jié nà liàng yùn chāo chē.
    They planned to rob that armored car.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

抢qiǎngsnatch
劫jiérob

抢 and 劫 both mean taking by force, so together they describe robbing or 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.

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 →

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
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.

Open 劫 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Crime & Police2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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