闯

闖

chuǎng

门 + 马

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

chuǎng (verb) to rush; to charge through; to dash; to break through

chuǎng (verb) to overcome hardships

Etymology

A horse 马 charging through a gate 门

About

闯 is the simplified form of 闖, a phono-semantic compound. The outer component 门 (from 門) is the door radical and sets a spatial boundary, while the inner 马 (from 馬) supplies both the meaning of a horse and a phonetic cue. Visually, the character depicts a horse charging through a gate, giving rise to the core senses of rushing, dashing, or forcefully breaking through. These meanings extend figuratively to boldly venturing into the world, forging new paths, or confronting difficult social situations.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

开车时不要闯红灯。

Kāichē shí bùyào chuǎng hóngdēng.

When driving, do not run the red light.

孩子闯进了花园。

Háizi chuǎng jìnle huāyuán.

The child rushed into the garden.

他闯入了我的梦境。

Tā chuǎng rùle wǒ de mèngjìng.

He intruded into my dream.

闯过这个难关需要勇气。

Chuǎng guò zhège nánguān xūyào yǒngqì.

Breaking through this difficulty requires courage.

年轻人应该多闯一闯。

Niánqīng rén yīnggāi duō chuǎng yī chuǎng.

Young people should venture out more.

他闯祸后非常后悔。

Tā chuǎng huò hòu fēicháng hòuhuǐ.

After causing trouble, he deeply regretted it.

为了成功，他决心闯出一条新路。

Wèile chénggōng, tā juéxīn chuǎng chū yī tiáo xīn lù.

For success, he is determined to blaze a new trail.

尽管风险很大，但他还是决定闯一闯。

Jǐnguǎn fēngxiǎn hěn dà, dàn tā háishì juédìng chuǎng yī chuǎng.

Even though the risk is high, he still decides to give it a try.

Related Characters

Component: 门

Component: 马

闯