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疏导 (shū dǎo) — (verb) to dredge (a waterway, river); (verb) to direct or guide (traffic, crowds); (verb) to guide or enlighten (people, emotions, thoughts)

Definition

疏导 is to clear a blockage AND guide flow — used for physical channels (rivers, traffic) and for emotions or thoughts. Compared with 疏通 (purely unblocking) and 劝说 (persuading someone to act), 疏导 emphasizes actively guiding what was stuck.

verb
to dredge (a waterway, river)to direct or guide (traffic, crowds)to guide or enlighten (people, emotions, thoughts)

Examples

  • 疏导，。
    Gōng rén men zhèng zài shū dǎo zhè tiáo hé, ràng tā bú zài dǔ sè.
    Workers are dredging this river so it won't be blocked anymore.
  • 疏导。
    Jǐng chá zài shí zì lù kǒu shū dǎo jiāo tōng.
    Police are directing traffic at the intersection.
  • 疏导。
    Lǎo shī shū dǎo le xué shēng de fù miàn qíng xù.
    The teacher guided the students' negative emotions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

疏shūclear
导dǎoguide

疏 means clear blockage and 导 means guide, so the action opens a path and directs flow.

Characters in this word

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

  • 疋疋pǐ
  • 㐬㐬㐬

The form 疏 combines 㐬 with 疋, where 疋 supplies the sound.

Open 疏 →

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 導; 导 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
道
道dào導
Same sound today

The traditional form 導 pairs 道 (path) as the sound part with 寸 (hand), giving the sense of leading someone. The simplified 导 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 导 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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