驱赶 (qū gǎn) — to drive away, to expel, to banish; to drive (a vehicle or animal forward)

Definition

驱赶 covers both senses: physically herding animals/vehicles forward AND forcing people or pests to leave a place. The result-marker result complements (走, 出, 离开) are common when the focus is expulsion.

verb
to drive awayto expelto banishto drive (a vehicle or animal forward)

Examples

  • 驱赶。
    Mù mín men yòng biān zi qū gǎn niú yáng wǎng cǎo chǎng zǒu.
    The herders used whips to drive the cattle and sheep toward the pasture.
  • 驱赶。
    Jǐng chá qū gǎn le jù jí zài guǎng chǎng shàng de rén qún.
    The police dispersed the crowd gathered in the square.
  • 驱赶。
    Tā yòng shù zhī qū gǎn zǒu dīng zài tuǐ shàng de wén zi.
    He used a twig to shoo away the mosquito biting his leg.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

驱qūdrive
赶gǎnchase

驱 (drive) and 赶 (chase) are parallel actions, giving drive away.

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 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.

Open 驱 →

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 趕; 赶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旱
旱hàn趕gǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 趕 combines 走, for the meaning, and 旱, for the sound; this is about 趕, not 赶.

Open 赶 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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