纠察 (jiū chá) — to maintain order (at a public gathering or event); to picket

Definition

Refers to the action of keeping order at events or picketing at a worksite, usually by a designated team or officer. Often appears as 纠察队 (picket line / security squad) or 纠察工作 (order-keeping duty).

verb
to maintain order (at a public gathering or event)to picket

Examples

  • 纠察。
    Jǐng chá zài yóu xíng duì wu páng biān jiū chá zhì xù.
    The police maintained order alongside the parade.
  • 纠察。
    Gōng huì pài le jǐ gè rén qù gōng chǎng mén kǒu jiū chá.
    The union sent a few people to picket at the factory gate.
  • 纠察。
    Zhè cì huó dòng xū yào zhì yuàn zhě fù zé jiū chá gōng zuò.
    This event needs volunteers to be responsible for maintaining order.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

纠jiūcorrect
察cháexamine

纠 suggests correcting, and 察 suggests examining; the two actions combine into keeping order.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 糾; 纠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū糾jiū
Same sound today

In the traditional form 糾, 糸 (silk) was added to 丩, which already stood for the word. The simplified 纠 is a shorthand.

Open 纠 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì察chá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 察 combines 宀, a roof, with 祭 as the sound part.

Open 察 →

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