迎击 (yíng jī) — to meet head-on (in combat or competition); to intercept (an incoming threat)

Definition

迎击 (yíng jī) is a formal, written verb meaning to meet an attack or challenge head-on and strike back — used in military, sports, and abstract contexts, not casual talk.

verb
to meet head-on (in combat or competition)to intercept (an incoming threat)

Examples

  • 迎击。
    Wǒ jūn jué dìng zhǔ dòng yíng jī dí rén.
    Our army decided to actively meet the enemy head-on.
  • ，迎击。
    Zài jué sài zhōng, tā jiāng yíng jī shàng jiè guàn jūn.
    In the final match, he will face the defending champion head-on.
  • ，迎击。
    Miàn duì kùn nan, wǒ men yīng dāng yǒng gǎn yíng jī.
    Facing difficulties, we should bravely confront them head-on.

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.

迎yíngmeet; face
击jīstrike; attack

The sense of meeting or facing in 迎 shapes the striking in 击, giving “intercept by meeting it head-on.”

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
卬
卬áng迎yíng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迎 is made of 辶 (written fully as 辵) for the meaning and 卬 for the sound.

Open 迎 →

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 擊; 击 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
毄
毄jī擊jī
Same sound today

The traditional form 擊 has 手 (hand) and 毄; 毄 gives the sound and also points to striking, while the simplified 击 is a later shorthand.

Open 击 →

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