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镇压 (zhèn yā) — to suppress, to repress, to put down (a rebellion, protest, etc.); (historical, political) to execute (a counterrevolutionary)

Definition

A strong, politically loaded verb: to suppress or put down (rebellions, protests) by force, historically also to execute enemies of the state. Collocates with 叛乱, 起义, 示威 — not everyday events.

verb
to suppressto repressto put down (a rebellion, protest, etc.)(historical, political) to execute (a counterrevolutionary)

Examples

  • 镇压。
    Zhèng fǔ pài jūn duì zhèn yā le zhè chǎng pàn luàn.
    The government sent troops to suppress this rebellion.
  • 镇压。
    Jǐng fāng yòng gāo yā shuǐ qiāng zhèn yā shì wēi zhě.
    The police used high-pressure water cannons to suppress the protesters.
  • ，镇压。
    Zài wén gé qī jiān, xǔ duō bèi rèn dìng wèi fǎn gé mìng de rén bèi zhèn yā le.
    During the Cultural Revolution, many people identified as counterrevolutionaries were executed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

镇zhènpress down
压yāpress

镇 and 压 both carry the sense of pressing down, together meaning to suppress.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn鎮zhèn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鎮 uses 金, metal, and 真, which gave its sound; it depicted pressing down with a metal weight. The simplified 镇 is a later abbreviation.

Open 镇 →

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 壓; 压 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔdust
Sound part声符shēngfú
厭
厭yàn壓yā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壓 is built from 土, dust, and 厭, which gives the sound; 压 is the simplified form of 壓.

Open 压 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Government & Politics

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