抢点 (qiǎng diǎn) — to make up time (to keep on schedule); (sports) to race to a favorable position

Definition

抢 (qiǎng) here means to 'rush' or 'scramble' for a narrow window of time or position. Pairs with 抢时间 ('make up time') and 抢位置 ('race to a spot'); not the 'rob/snatch' sense of 抢.

verb
to make up time (to keep on schedule)(sports) to race to a favorable position

Examples

  • ，抢点。
    Huǒ chē wǎn diǎn le, sī jī zài nǔ lì qiǎng diǎn.
    The train is late, and the driver is trying hard to make up time.
  • ，。
    Tā qiǎng le yí gè hǎo diǎn, zhuǎn shēn tóu lán dé fēn le.
    He raced to a good position, turned and shot to score.
  • ，。
    Wèi le zhǔn shí dào dá, wǒ men dé qiǎng huí wǔ fēn zhōng diǎn.
    To arrive on time, we need to make up five minutes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

抢qiǎngseize
点diǎnpoint

The characters 抢 and 点 describe seizing a point or time, giving the sense of racing to a position.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

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