躲藏 (duǒ cáng) — to hide (oneself), to go into hiding | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Both 躲藏 and 隐藏 mean 'to hide', but 躲藏 emphasizes actively concealing oneself (a person, fugitive, etc.) so as not to be found, often implying avoiding discovery over time.

verb

to hide (oneself)to go into hiding

Examples

躲藏。
Tā duǒ cáng zài mén hòu miàn.
He hid behind the door.
躲藏，。
Nà ge zuì fàn duǒ cáng le duō nián, zuì hòu hái shì bèi zhuā zhù le.
That criminal hid for many years, but was finally caught.
，躲藏，。
Miàn duì wèn tí, bú yào zǒng xiǎng duǒ cáng, yào yǒng gǎn miàn duì.
When facing problems, don't always try to hide; face them bravely.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

躲 and 藏 both involve concealment, so together they mean to hide oneself.

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.

身朵躲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

身身shēnbody

Sound part声符shēngfú

朵

朵duǒ躲duǒ

Same sound today

躲 uses 身 to show a body and 朵 to give the sound; 朵 is also noted as "to move".

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

臧

臧zāng藏cáng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

藏 is made from 艸 (grass) and 臧, where 臧 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 2.0 Level 5

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