迫害 (pò hài) — to persecute

Definition

verb
to persecute

Examples

  • ,迫害。
    Zài zhàn zhēng shí qī, xǔ duō rén wú gū dì zāo shòu le pò hài.
    During wartime, many innocent people suffered persecution.
  • ,。
    Yīn wèi bù tóng xìn yǎng, tā men bèi pò hài le hěn duō nián.
    Because of different beliefs, they were persecuted for many years.
  • 迫害。
    Zhè zhǒng pò hài xíng jìng yán zhòng wéi fǎn le jī běn rén quán.
    This kind of persecution seriously violates basic human rights.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

迫pòoppress

迫 (oppress) and 害 (harm) combine to mean persecute.

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
白
白bái迫pò
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.

Open 迫 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.