TongTong
Sign in

控制 (kòng zhì) — to control, to dominate, to contain

Definition

A general 'control' verb covering people, machines, and abstract things (emotions, growth, temperature). Broader than 操控 (machines/systems, often with negative intent) and 支配 (people, decisions, resources).

verb
to controlto dominateto contain

Examples

  • 控制。
    Tā wú fǎ kòng zhì zì jǐ de xīn qíng.
    He can't control his own mood.
  • 控制。
    Kōng tiáo kě yǐ kòng zhì fáng jiān de wēn dù.
    The air conditioner can control the room temperature.
  • 控制。
    Zhèng fǔ xū yào kòng zhì rén kǒu zēng zhǎng.
    The government needs to control population growth.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

控kòngrestrain
制zhìcontrol

From 控 and 制, both meaning to restrain, forming the idea of keeping something under command.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
空
空kōng控kòng
Same sound today

The left part is 手 written as 扌, showing a hand; the right part 空 gives the sound.

Open 控 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The form 制 pairs 朱 (tree) with 刀 (knife), showing the act of cutting a tree.

Open 制 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsAbstract Concepts2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.