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覆辙 (fù zhé) — the track of an overturned cart (idiom); a disastrous mistake or policy that one should avoid repeating

Definition

A literary noun from the idiom 重蹈覆辙 ('repeat the same disastrous mistake'). It refers concretely to the track of an overturned cart and figuratively to a past failure whose path should not be followed again.

noun
the track of an overturned cart (idiom)a disastrous mistake or policy that one should avoid repeating

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ men bù néng chóng dǎo fù zhé.
    We must not repeat the same mistake.
  • 覆辙。
    Zhè ge jiào xùn tí xǐng wǒ men bì miǎn fù zhé.
    This lesson reminds us to avoid the previous disastrous path.
  • 覆辙。
    Lì shǐ de fù zhé zhí dé wǒ men shēn sī.
    The overturned cart of history is worth our deep thought.

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.

覆fùoverturned
辙zhétrack

覆 describes an overturned cart and 辙 is its track, together a disastrous course to avoid.

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
襾襾yà
Sound part声符shēngfú
復
復fù覆fù
Same sound today

覆 pairs 襾, a part connected to the meaning, with 復, which gives the sound.

Open 覆 →

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 轍; 辙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūwagon
Sound part声符shēngfú
徹
徹chè轍zhé
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 轍 combines 車 (wagon) with a sound component 徹, and the meaning is wagon tracks; the simplified 辙 is a shorthand.

Open 辙 →
Appears in
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