胁迫 (xié pò) — to coerce, to force | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

胁迫 (xiépò) means to coerce someone by threats or pressure — stronger and more formal than forcing (迫使), with an implication of intimidation rather than sheer necessity.

verb

to coerceto force

Examples

胁迫。
Tā men xié pò tā qiān le nà fèn hé tong.
They coerced him into signing that contract.
胁迫。
Nǐ wú quán xié pò rèn hé rén zuò wéi fǎ de shì.
You have no right to force anyone to do something illegal.
胁迫，。
Zài xié pò zhī xià, tā bù dé bù shuō chū shí qíng.
Under coercion, he had no choice but to tell the truth.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

胁xiéthreaten

胁 and 迫 both convey threat and force, giving the sense of coercion.

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 脅; 胁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

劦

劦xié脅xié

Same sound today

The traditional form 脅 combines 肉, flesh, with 劦 for the sound; the simplified 胁 is a later shorthand.

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

辶白迫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

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

The form 迫 pairs the walking radical 辶 (written in full as 辵) with 白, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Conflict & Agreement

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