阻 zǔ to hinder
to hinder; to impede
怎么记住“阻”: 阝 mound + 且 moreover = to hinder. A mound of boxes and, moreover, grandpa's huge bookcase block the narrow hallway, as if placed there on purpose to hinder the tired movers.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
阻 = 阝 mound + 且 moreover
- 阝 mound meaning
- 且 moreover sound
A mound of boxes and, moreover, grandpa's huge bookcase block the narrow hallway, as if placed there on purpose to hinder the tired movers.
How it came to be
In the small seal form, the mound gives the meaning and the right part gives the sound.
用法
- 阻止 zǔzhǐ takes a person or action as object and means to actively stop them: 阻止他离开 (zǔzhǐ tā líkāi) "stop him from leaving."
- 阻碍 zǔ'ài is more abstract, hindering progress or development (阻碍经济发展), and 阻挠 zǔnáo adds a note of deliberate, obstructive sabotage.
- 劝阻 quànzǔ is to talk someone out of doing something; the idiom 风雨无阻 (fēngyǔ wúzǔ) "regardless of weather" describes unwavering commitment.