驱

敺/駈/驅

qū

区 + 马

Definitions

qū (verb) to drive; to urge on

qū (verb) to expel; to drive away

qū (verb) to run quickly

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 马 represents the meaning and 区 represents the sound. Simplified form of 驅.

Semantic: 马 Phonetic: 区

About

驱 is a phonosemantic compound: 马 (horse) supplies the meaning, while 区 (qū) gives the sound. Originally it denoted driving a horse or urging an animal to move swiftly. The traditional form 驅 places the full horse radical beside a more complex phonetic. Over time, the meaning expanded from equestrian use to broader actions like expelling, banishing, or compelling. The simplified structure uses the simplified horse radical 马 with 区, a component that also means 'area' or 'district', significantly cutting the stroke count.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

爸爸每天驱车上班。

Bà ba měi tiān qū chē shàng bān.

Dad drives to work every day.

这个机器由电力驱动。

Zhè ge jī qì yóu diàn lì qū dòng.

This machine is driven by electricity.

好奇心驱使我去探索。

Hào qí xīn qū shǐ wǒ qù tàn suǒ.

Curiosity drives me to explore.

阳光驱散了乌云。

Yáng guāng qū sàn le wū yún.

The sunlight dispersed the dark clouds.

政府驱逐了非法移民。

Zhèng fǔ qū zhú le fēi fǎ yí mín.

The government expelled the illegal immigrants.

农民驱赶了田里的鸟。

Nóng mín qū gǎn le tián lǐ de niǎo.

The farmer drove away the birds in the field.

梦想驱动着他不断前进。

Mèng xiǎng qū dòng zhe tā bù duàn qián jìn.

Dreams drive him to keep moving forward.

为了驱除内心的恐惧，他选择了面对挑战。

Wèi le qū chú nèi xīn de kǒng jù, tā xuǎn zé le miàn duì tiǎo zhàn.

In order to eliminate inner fear, he chose to face the challenge.

Related Characters

Component: 区

Component: 马

Example Words