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逆行 (nì xíng) — to go the wrong way (especially against traffic regulations)

Definition

逆行 specifically means driving or going against the legal direction of traffic (one-way streets, highways). Unlike 倒车 / 倒退 (reversing a vehicle), it is about moving forward in the wrong direction, and 违章 is the broader 'breaking traffic rules.'

verb
to go the wrong way (especially against traffic regulations)

Examples

  • 逆行，。
    Nà liàng qì chē zài dān xíng dào shàng nì xíng, chà diǎn zhuàng dào rén.
    That car went the wrong way on a one-way street and nearly hit someone.
  • 逆行，。
    Gāo sù gōng lù shàng nì xíng fēi cháng wēi xiǎn, róng yì zào chéng yán zhòng shì gù.
    Going the wrong way on a highway is very dangerous and can easily cause serious accidents.
  • 逆行。
    Sī jī yīn wèi nì xíng bèi fá kuǎn le.
    The driver was fined for going the wrong way.

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.

逆nìagainst
行xíngmove

逆 means against the proper direction and 行 means moving, so together they describe going the wrong way.

Characters in this word

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

  • 辶辵chuòmovement
  • 屰屰nìgo against

The 辶 part shows movement, and 屰 gives the sound and the sense of going against, so the whole depicts moving in the opposite direction.

Open 逆 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Roads & Traffic

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