武斗 (wǔ dǒu) — (noun) violent struggle, physical fight (especially in a political or historical context); (verb) to resort to violence, to engage in armed conflict

Definition

武斗 (wǔdòu) is a formal/historical term for organized violent struggle, often in political contexts such as the Cultural Revolution. It refers to armed or physical conflict between groups, not an ordinary street fight.

noun
violent strugglephysical fight (especially in a political or historical context)
verb
to resort to violenceto engage in armed conflict
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • ，武斗。
    Wén huà dà gé mìng qī jiān, gè dì fā shēng le yán zhòng de wǔ dǒu.
    During the Cultural Revolution, severe violent struggles occurred everywhere.
  • 武斗，。
    Shuāng fāng dōu bú yuàn wǔ dǒu, xī wàng tōng guò tán pàn jiě jué wèn tí.
    Neither side wants to resort to violence; they hope to solve the problem through negotiation.
  • 武斗。
    Lì shǐ xué jiā xiáng xì jì lù le nà cì wǔ dǒu de jīng guò.
    Historians recorded the details of that violent struggle.

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.

武wǔarmed
斗dòustruggle

武 supplies the sense of armed force and 斗 that of struggle, yielding violent confrontation.

Characters in this word

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

武 puts 戈 (dagger-axe) above 止 (foot/to walk), showing an army going on an expedition.

Open 武 →

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Open 斗 →

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