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死角 (sǐ jiǎo) — blind spot, dead angle (military, traffic, photography); area untouched by a particular activity or campaign

Definition

Literally 'dead corner' — a spot where light, sight, or influence cannot reach. Used literally for blind spots (driving, photography) and figuratively for areas missed by a campaign or policy.

noun
blind spotdead angle (military, traffic, photography)area untouched by a particular activity or campaign
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 死角。
    Kāi chē shí yào tè bié zhù yì hòu shì jìng de sǐ jiǎo.
    When driving, pay special attention to the blind spots in the rearview mirrors.
  • 死角。
    Zhè cì ān quán dà jiǎn chá méi yǒu liú xià rèn hé sǐ jiǎo.
    This comprehensive safety inspection left no corners untouched.
  • 死角。
    Nà ge chéng shì de wèi shēng zhì lǐ chè dǐ xiāo miè le jū mín qū de sǐ jiǎo.
    That city's sanitation management completely eliminated the dead zones in residential areas.

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.

死sǐdead
角jiǎoangle

死 means dead and 角 means angle, giving a hidden angle outside view.

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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