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路卡 (lù kǎ) — road checkpoint; barrier (on a road)

Definition

A physical barrier or checkpoint on a road where vehicles stop for inspection (e.g. customs, toll, border). Related to 关口, but 路卡 is specifically a road-side barrier rather than a mountain pass or customs port.

noun
road checkpointbarrier (on a road)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 路卡，。
    Qián miàn yǒu yí gè lù kǎ, qǐng jiǎn sù màn xíng.
    There is a road checkpoint ahead, please slow down.
  • 路卡，。
    Jīng guò lù kǎ shí, xū yào chū shì shēn fèn zhèng jiàn.
    When passing through the checkpoint, you need to show your ID.
  • 路卡。
    Hǎi guān lù kǎ jiǎn chá le suǒ yǒu chē liàng.
    The customs checkpoint inspected all vehicles.

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.

路lùroad
卡kǎcheckpoint

路 means road and 卡 means checkpoint, so 路卡 is a barrier placed on a road.

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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

卡 is made from 上 (up) and 下 (down), with their horizontal lines fused, showing something squeezed between above and below.

Open 卡 →
Appears in
Roads & Traffic

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