盯梢 (dīng shāo) — to tail, to shadow (someone) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

To secretly follow or watch someone, like a detective or police tailing a suspect. It implies covert surveillance rather than simply going after someone.

verb

to tailto shadow (someone)

Examples

盯梢。
Biàn yī jǐng chá zài dīng shāo nà ge kě yí de rén.
The plainclothes police are tailing that suspicious person.
。
Tā men dīng le nà ge xián yí rén de shāo hǎo jǐ gè xiǎo shí.
They shadowed that suspect for several hours.
盯梢。
Sī jiā zhēn tàn bèi pài qù dīng shāo mù biāo rén wù.
The private detective was sent to tail the target person.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

盯dīngto stare

梢shāotail end

盯梢 pairs 盯, to stare, with 梢, tail end, meaning to keep eyes on a target trail.

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.

目丁盯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng盯dīng

Same sound today

In 盯, the left part 目 is an eye; the right part 丁 gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木肖梢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

肖xiào梢shāo(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part of 梢 is 木, a tree; the right part is 肖, which gives the sound.

Appears in

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