狂奔 (kuáng bēn) — to run wildly, to rush about frantically

Definition

狂奔 (kuángbēn) is an intensifier-style verb: "run wildly, gallop frantically" — stresses the speed AND the uncontrolled, frenzied quality of the running, more dramatic than plain 跑.

verb
to run wildlyto rush about frantically

Examples

  • 狂奔。
    Tā tīng dào jiān jiào shēng hòu kāi shǐ kuáng bēn.
    He started running wildly after hearing the scream.
  • 狂奔。
    Nà zhī shòu jīng de mǎ zài tián yě lǐ kuáng bēn.
    That frightened horse was running wildly in the field.
  • ，狂奔。
    Bǐ sài kāi shǐ, yùn dòng yuán men kuáng bēn ér chū.
    The race started, and the athletes rushed out wildly.

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.

狂kuángwildly
奔bēnrun

狂 “wildly” with 奔 “run” gives “run wildly”.

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
㞷
㞷㞷狂kuáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

狂 pairs 犭 (dog) with 㞷, which gives the sound; 㞷 is an old form of a character meaning 'to go'.

Open 狂 →

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

奔 combines 人 (person) and 止 (foot), giving the picture of a person moving on foot.

Open 奔 →

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