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挟持 (xié chí) — to take (a person) hostage; to kidnap; to hijack (a vehicle with people)

Definition

挟持 (xiéchí) means to seize a person by force and hold them hostage — the act of taking and detaining, not just tying up (绑) or abducting for ransom (绑架). Most often used for hostage-taking incidents in news reports.

verb
to take (a person) hostageto kidnapto hijack (a vehicle with people)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 挟持。
    Bǎng fěi xié chí le tā zuò wéi rén zhì.
    The kidnapper took him hostage.
  • 挟持，。
    Tā shì tú xié chí yí wèi fù nǚ, dàn bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
    He tried to take a woman hostage but was caught by police.
  • 挟持。
    Zhè cì xié chí shì jiàn zhèn jīng le zhěng gè guó jiā.
    This hostage-taking incident shocked the whole country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

挟xiéhold
持chígrasp

挟 and 持 both describe holding or seizing.

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 挾; 挟 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
夾
夾jiā挾xié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 挾 uses 扌, the hand shape also written 手, and 夾 as the sound part.

Open 挟 →

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì持chí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

持 combines 手 (hand), for the idea of holding, with 寺, which gives the sound.

Open 持 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

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