驱 (qū) — (bound form) to drive (a vehicle); to propel; (bound form) to expel; to drive away
Definition
驱 is a bound morpheme meaning 'to drive / propel' or 'to expel / drive away' — it never stands alone and is almost always part of compounds such as 驱车, 驱逐, or 驱除. Think of it as the written/abstract stem behind the everyday verbs 开车 and 赶走.
bound form
to drive (a vehicle)to propelto expelto drive away
Examples
- 。Tā qū chē qù jī chǎng jiē péng you.He drove to the airport to pick up a friend.
- 。Jǐng chá yòng cuī lèi wǎ sī qū sàn le shì wēi zhě.The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
- 。Zhè zhǒng yào kě yǐ qū chú tǐ nèi de jì shēng chóng.This medicine can expel parasites from the body.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 驅; 驱 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū驅qū
Same sound today
The traditional form 驅 pairs 馬 (horse) with 區 as a sound part; simplified 驱 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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