Definitions

lán (verb) to block; to obstruct
lán (verb) to flag down (a taxi)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "拦", meaning to block or obstruct, originates from its traditional form "攔", which combines the hand radical "扌" with the phonetic component "闌", the latter itself associated with concepts of obstruction or barrier. This structure indicates an action performed by the hand, consistently reflecting the character's core sense of physically intercepting or hindering movement. Over centuries, its application expanded from describing tangible impediments to including metaphorical obstructions, such as preventing events or opposing ideas, while retaining its fundamental notion of interception. The simplified form "拦" replaced the complex phonetic "闌" with the simpler "兰", maintaining the pronunciation but altering the character's visual composition without shifting its essential meaning.

Example Sentences Hide

着门。

Bié lán zhe mén.

Don't block the door.

住了那个奔跑的孩子。

Tā lán zhùle nàgè bēnpǎo de háizi.

He stopped the running child.

警察下了一辆超速的汽车。

Jǐngchá lán xiàle yī liàng chāosù de qìchē.

The police stopped a speeding car.

这条河住了我们前进的路。

Zhè tiáo hé lán zhùle wǒmen qiánjìn de lù.

This river blocked our way forward.

任何困难都不住我们。

Rènhé kùnnán dōu lán bù zhù wǒmen.

No difficulty can stop us.

球迷们试图住球星要签名。

Qiúménmen shìtú lán zhù qiúxīng yào qiānmíng.

The fans tried to stop the star player to get an autograph.

系统会自动截垃圾邮件。

Xìtǒng huì zìdòng lánjié lājī yóujiàn.

The system automatically intercepts spam emails.

大坝成功蓄了汛期的洪水。

Dàbà chénggōng lán xùle xùnqī de hóngshuǐ.

The dam successfully impounded the floodwaters during the rainy season.