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阻拦 (zǔ lán) — to stop, to obstruct

Definition

阻拦 means to physically intercept or block someone/something from moving forward. Stronger and more active than 阻挡 (general blocking) and 妨碍 (mere hindrance).

verb
to stopto obstruct

Examples

  • 阻拦。
    Jǐng chá zǔ lán le nà liàng chē.
    The police stopped that car.
  • 阻拦。
    Rèn hé kùn nan dōu bù néng zǔ lán wǒ men qián jìn.
    No difficulty can stop us from moving forward.
  • 阻拦，。
    Tā shì tú zǔ lán wǒ, dàn wǒ méi tīng.
    He tried to stop me, but I didn't listen.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

阻zǔto stop
拦lánto block

阻 and 拦 both mean to stop or block, so together they express obstruction.

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě阻zǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

阻 is built from 阝 (written in full as 阜) on the left and 且 on the right, which gives the sound.

Open 阻 →

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 攔; 拦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhands
Sound part声符shēngfú
闌
闌lán攔lán
Same sound today

In the traditional form 攔, 扌 (hands) is paired with 闌, which gives the sound. The simplified 拦 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the original sound part.

Open 拦 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Conflict & Agreement

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