Chinese Character: 赶
1. Character Basics
Radical: 走 (zǒu, to walk)
Stroke Count: 10
Structure: Left-right structure, with the walking radical on the left and 干 on the right
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: Gǎn
Tone: Third tone (falling-rising)
3. Meaning
Core Meaning: To catch up; to hurry; to drive away
Main Definitions:
- To hurry; to rush
- To catch up with; to overtake
- To drive away; to expel
- To go to (a market, fair, etc.)
- To pursue
4. Common Words
- 赶快 (gǎn kuài): Hurry up
Example: We need to hurry up to catch the train. 我们需要赶快去赶火车。 - 赶上 (gǎn shàng): Catch up with
Example: I need to study hard to catch up with my classmates. 我需要努力学习赶上我的同学。 - 赶走 (gǎn zǒu): Drive away
Example: The farmer drove away the birds from his field. 农民把鸟从他的田里赶走了。 - 赶集 (gǎn jí): Go to market
Example: Every Saturday, people from nearby villages go to market. 每个星期六，附近村庄的人都去赶集。 - 追赶 (zhuī gǎn): Chase after
Example: The police are chasing after the thief. 警察正在追赶小偷。
5. Grammar & Usage
Part of Speech: Mainly verb
Usage Patterns:
- As a transitive verb: 赶 + object (e.g., 赶车, 赶飞机)
- With resultative complements: 赶上, 赶来, 赶走
- In the structure "赶+time word" to mean "to meet a deadline" (e.g., 赶时间)
- Can be used in the pattern "赶+to do something" (e.g., 赶去开会)
Common Collocations:
- 赶时间 (gǎn shí jiān): Rush against time
- 赶工 (gǎn gōng): Rush to meet a deadline
- 赶早 (gǎn zǎo): Do something early
6. Cultural Background
The character 赶 reflects concepts of urgency and movement that are important in Chinese culture:
- In traditional Chinese society, farmers would "赶墟" (gǎn xū) or "赶集" (gǎn jí) to go to periodic markets to buy and sell goods
- The phrase "赶鸭子上架" (gǎn yā zi shàng jià) is an idiom meaning "to force someone to do something they're not capable of"
- Time consciousness is valued in Chinese culture, reflected in phrases like "赶时间" (gǎn shí jiān) and "赶工" (gǎn gōng)
- The character appears in many proverbs related to seizing opportunities and not delaying action
7. Example Sentence
Sentence 1: 我必须赶快去赶公交车。
(Wǒ bì xū gǎn kuài qù gǎn gōng jiāo chē.)
I must hurry to catch the bus.
Sentence 2: 他跑得很快，我赶不上他。
(Tā pǎo de hěn kuài, wǒ gǎn bu shàng tā.)
He runs very fast, I can't catch up with him.
Sentence 3: 明天我们要去赶集买些蔬菜。
(Míng tiān wǒ men yào qù gǎn jí mǎi xiē shū cài.)
Tomorrow we're going to the market to buy some vegetables.
8. Memory Tips
- Component Breakdown: The character consists of 走 (to walk) and 干. Imagine someone walking quickly to get something done.
- Visual Association: Think of the 走 radical as legs moving quickly, and 干 as the task that needs to be done.
- Word Family: Learn related words together like 赶快, 赶上, 赶走 to reinforce the meaning of urgency.
- Mnemonic Sentence: "赶快走，去赶集，赶上朋友买东西。" (Gǎn kuài zǒu, qù gǎn jí, gǎn shàng péng yǒu mǎi dōng xi.) - Hurry to go to the market and catch up with friends to buy things.