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抢走 (qiǎng zǒu) — to snatch away, to take by force

Definition

A resultative verb: 抢 (snatch) + 走 (away) — emphasizes both the forceful taking and that the thing leaves the victim's possession. A separable verb; the 走 can detach (抢走了他的包).

verb
to snatch awayto take by force

Examples

  • 抢走。
    Xiǎo tōu qiǎng zǒu le tā de qián bāo.
    The thief snatched away his wallet.
  • 抢走。
    Wǒ de shǒu jī bèi qiǎng zǒu le.
    My phone was snatched away.
  • 抢走？
    Shuí qiǎng zǒu le nǐ de zì xíng chē?
    Who took away your bicycle by force?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

抢qiǎngto snatch
走zǒuaway

抢 means to snatch and 走 adds the sense of away, so 抢走 is to snatch away.

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 →

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

The original shape showed a running man, with a foot added later.

Open 走 →
Appears in
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