拦路虎 (lán lù hǔ) — (figurative) obstacle, stumbling block; (literal, archaic) highway robber

Definition

A figurative noun meaning 'obstacle' or 'stumbling block' — literally a 'tiger blocking the road'. Always used metaphorically for a difficulty that stands in one's way; the literal highway-robber sense is archaic.

noun
(figurative) obstaclestumbling block(literal, archaic) highway robber

Examples

  • 拦路虎。
    Zhè ge shēng cí shì xué xí zhōng wén de yí gè dà lán lù hǔ.
    This new word is a big obstacle in learning Chinese.
  • 拦路虎。
    Zài wǒ men xiàng mù de tuī jìn guò chéng zhōng yù dào le hěn duō lán lù hǔ.
    We encountered many obstacles during the progress of our project.
  • 拦路虎，。
    Zhǐ yào bú pà lán lù hǔ, jiù yí dìng néng chéng gōng.
    As long as you are not afraid of obstacles, you will surely succeed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

拦路block the road
拦lánblock路lùroad
动宾Verb + object
虎hǔtiger

拦 (block) + 路 (road) + 虎 (tiger): a tiger blocking the road, hence an obstacle.

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 攔; 拦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhands
Sound part声符shēngfú
闌
闌lán攔lán
Same sound today

In the traditional form 攔, 扌 (hands) is paired with 闌, which gives the sound. The simplified 拦 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the original sound part.

Open 拦 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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

虎 originally drew a tiger's head. Its body disappeared, and the legs and tail became the lower part.

Open 虎 →

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