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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liánhéCoordinate

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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