驾

駕

jià

加 + 马

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

jià (verb) to drive; to pilot

jià (verb) to ride; to mount

jià (verb) to harness; to draw (a cart)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 马 represents the meaning and 加 represents the sound. Simplified form of 駕.

Semantic: 马 Phonetic: 加

About

驾 (traditional form 駕) is a phonosemantic compound in which the semantic radical 马 (horse, simplified from 馬) is placed at the bottom and the phonetic component 加 is above. Its earliest meaning was to harness a horse to a carriage or the yoke used for draft animals, and from this it came to mean driving a vehicle, riding an animal, or piloting a vessel. The character later acquired a respectful usage, applied to emperors and high-ranking officials, as if they rode in a grand imperial carriage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我刚刚学会驾驶。

Wǒ gānggāng xuéhuì jiàshǐ.

I just learned to drive.

他今天通过了驾考。

Tā jīntiān tōngguò le jiàkǎo.

He passed the driving test today.

爸爸在驾校当教练。

Bàba zài jiàxiào dāng jiàoliàn.

My father works as an instructor at a driving school.

请你出示一下驾照。

Qǐng nǐ chūshì yīxià jiàzhào.

Please show me your driver's license.

好的驾驶习惯很重要。

Hǎo de jiàshǐ xíguàn hěn zhòngyào.

Good driving habits are very important.

劳驾，请让一让路。

Láojià, qǐng ràng yī ràng lù.

Excuse me, please make way.

他熟练地驾驭了那匹马。

Tā shúliàn de jiàyù le nà pǐ mǎ.

He skillfully controlled that horse.

他的技术为公司的发展保驾。

Tā de jìshù wèi gōngsī de fāzhǎn bǎojià.

His skills safeguard the company's development.

Related Characters

Component: 加

Component: 马

驾