About
The character 逮, structurally composed of the movement radical 辶 and the component 隶, which originally implied a sense of reaching or catching, initially conveyed the concrete act of pursuit and capture. Its early usage centered on physically overtaking or apprehending, a meaning evident in classical Chinese contexts. Over time, the semantic scope broadened to include more abstract notions of attainment and involvement, leading to its incorporation into legal vocabulary such as 逮捕, meaning to arrest. This development reflects a gradual shift from emphasizing physical action to encompassing conceptual reaches, including the idea of extending to a point in time or condition, while retaining its core association with the concept of reaching.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
警察逮住了小偷。
他试图逮住那只蝴蝶。
犯罪分子最终被逮捕了。
小猫逮到了一只老鼠。
我好不容易才逮到这个机会。
警方迅速逮捕了嫌疑人。
你来得正好，逮个正着。
快跑，我们还能逮上那趟火车。