Meaning of 阻止
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to prevent
- to block
How to use 阻止
阻止 usually means stepping in to stop a person or an action that is already happening or about to happen. It often takes a person plus a verb after it. Example: 他想走，我阻止了他。(Tā xiǎng zǒu, wǒ zǔzhǐ le tā.) He wanted to leave, and I stopped him.
阻 (zǔ) has the 阝 side, which looks like a hill or wall blocking the way, and 止 (zhǐ) means to stop. Picture a wall that makes someone stop: 阻止 is to block someone and stop them from doing something.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 阻止 and 防止 (fángzhǐ). 防止 is preventing something bad in advance, like 防止感冒 (prevent a cold), while 阻止 is actively stopping someone or something, so 阻止感冒 sounds wrong. Also keep the third tone on 阻 (zǔ), not zū.
阻止 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
阻 zǔ · to hinder · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
止 zhǐ · to stop · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 阻止.
| 停止 | tíngzhǐ | to stop; to halt; to cease |
| 防止 | fángzhǐ | to prevent; to guard against |
| 禁止 | jìnzhǐ | to prohibit; to forbid |
| 不止 | bùzhǐ | incessantly; without end |
| 为止 | wéizhǐ | until; (used in combination with words like 到[dao4] or 至[zhi4] in constructs of the form 到 |
| 终止 | zhōngzhǐ | to stop; to terminate |
| 阻碍 | zǔ'ài | to obstruct; to hinder |
| 截止 | jiézhǐ | to end; to close; (electricity) cut-off |
| 制止 | zhìzhǐ | to curb; to put a stop to |
| 阻挡 | zǔdǎng | to stop; to resist |
| 中止 | zhōngzhǐ | to cease; to suspend |
| 举止 | jǔzhǐ | bearing; manner |
Questions about 阻止
What does 阻止 mean?
阻止 (zǔzhǐ) means "to prevent; to block" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 阻止?
阻止 is made of 2 characters: 阻 (7 strokes), 止 (4 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 阻止 an HSK word?
Yes. 阻止 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 阻止 and 禁止?
禁止 (jìnzhǐ) is a rule or order that forbids something, often seen on signs like 禁止吸烟 (no smoking). 阻止 is the actual act of stopping someone, usually in a specific situation.
Can 阻止 be used with abstract things, not just people?
Yes. You can say 阻止战争 (zǔzhǐ zhànzhēng, stop a war) or 阻止病毒传播 (zǔzhǐ bìngdú chuánbō, stop a virus from spreading). It works for any action or process that someone tries to block.