Definition
障碍 (zhàng ài) is most commonly a noun meaning 'obstacle, barrier' — it can be physical (road obstacles) or abstract (language barrier). Unlike 故障 (gù zhàng), which refers specifically to a mechanical/system malfunction, 障碍 is a general impediment. As a verb, it means 'to obstruct' but is less active than 阻碍 (zǔ ài, to block/hinder) or 妨碍 (fáng ài, to interfere with).
obstaclebarrierhindranceto obstructto hinder
Examples
- 障碍。Yǔyán zhàng ài shì jiāoliú de yí dà wèntí.Language barriers are a big problem in communication.
- 障碍。Qīngchú dàolù zhàng ài xūyào shíjiān.Clearing road obstacles takes time.
- 障碍。Tā de xíngwéi zhàng ài le gōngsī de fāzhǎn.His behavior hindered the company's development.
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