闸

牐/閘

zhá

甲 + 门

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhá old variant of 閘|闸[zhá]; sluice; lock (on waterway)

zhá sluice; sluice gate; to dam up water; (coll.) brake; (coll.) electric switch

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 门 represents the meaning and 甲 represents the sound. Simplified form of 閘.

Semantic: 门 Phonetic: 甲

About

闸 (zhá) is the simplified form of 閘, a phono-semantic compound combining 门 (mén, door/gate) as the meaning component and 甲 (jiǎ) as the sound component. The door radical suggests a barrier that opens and closes, and originally the character referred to a heavy drop-gate installed in canals and rivers to manage water levels, control flooding, and facilitate boat navigation. Its meaning later extended to mechanical devices that regulate movement, such as brakes, electrical switches, and safety shutters.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

请打开那个水闸。

Qǐng dǎkāi nàge shuǐzhá.

Please open that sluice gate.

闸门需要维修。

Zhámén xūyào wéixiū.

The gate needs maintenance.

洪水前关闭了所有水闸。

Hóngshuǐ qián guānbìle suǒyǒu shuǐzhá.

All sluice gates were closed before the flood.

工程师设计了新的闸门系统。

Gōngchéngshī shèjìle xīn de zhámén xìtǒng.

The engineer designed a new gate system.

由于电闸故障，整个大楼断电了。

Yóuyú diànzhá gùzhàng, zhěnggè dàlóu duàndiàn le.

Due to a circuit breaker failure, the entire building lost power.

他们用闸门调节水库的水位。

Tāmen yòng zhámén tiáojié shuǐkù de shuǐwèi.

They use gates to regulate the water level of the reservoir.

在紧急情况下，必须立即启动安全闸。

Zài jǐnjí qíngkuàng xià, bìxū lìjí qǐdòng ānquán zhá.

In emergency situations, the safety brake must be activated immediately.

通过精确控制闸门的开合，可以有效地管理灌溉网络。

Tōngguò jīngquè kòngzhì zhámén de kāihé, kěyǐ yǒuxiào dì guǎnlǐ guàngài wǎngluò.

By precisely controlling the opening and closing of the gates, the irrigation network can be managed effectively.

Related Characters

Component: 甲

Component: 门

闸