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骚扰 (sāo rǎo) — to harass; to disturb (by repeated actions)

Definition

骚扰 is 'to harass' — repeated, unwanted, often aggressive contact (calls, messages, behavior). Stronger than 打扰 ('to bother/disturb') and implies persistence or malice, not just a one-time interruption.

verb
to harassto disturb (by repeated actions)

Examples

  • 骚扰。
    Qǐng nǐ bú yào yí zài sāo rǎo wǒ.
    Please don't keep harassing me.
  • 骚扰。
    Zhè ge wǎng zhàn jìn zhǐ rèn hé xíng shì de sāo rǎo xíng wéi.
    This website prohibits any form of harassing behavior.
  • 骚扰。
    Tā yīn wèi shòu dào sāo rǎo ér bào le jǐng.
    She called the police because she was being harassed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

骚sāodisturb
扰rǎotrouble

骚 (disturb) and 扰 (trouble) together convey repeated disturbing or harassing.

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 騷; 骚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
蚤
蚤zǎo騷sāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 騷 pairs 馬 (horse) with 蚤 as a sound component; the simplified 骚 is a shorthand.

Open 骚 →

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 擾; 扰 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
夒
夒náo擾rǎo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 擾 combines 手 (hand) with 夒, a sound part; the simplified 扰 is a later shorthand, so its visible pieces are not the historical parts.

Open 扰 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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