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阻止 (zǔ zhǐ) — to prevent, to block, to stop

Definition

阻止 focuses on actively stopping someone from doing something or something from happening. Stronger and more forceful than 防止 (prevent/guard against) and 避免 (avoid), and aimed at a person or action, unlike 阻碍 which often targets progress or a process.

verb
to preventto blockto stop

Examples

  • 阻止。
    Wǒ men bì xū zǔ zhǐ zhè chǎng huǒ zāi.
    We must stop this fire.
  • 阻止。
    Tā shì tú zǔ zhǐ wǒ lí kāi.
    He tried to prevent me from leaving.
  • 阻止。
    Jǐng chá zǔ zhǐ le nà qǐ fàn zuì.
    The police stopped that crime.

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zǔblock
止zhǐstop

阻 and 止 both mean to stop or block, so together they express prevention.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

止 was drawn as a footprint pointing up, with three toes and a sole, originally showing a foot.

Open 止 →
Appears in
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