(gǎn) - to hurry, to rush; to catch (a train); to drive away in Mandarin
gǎnTraditional: 趕
Translation
to hurry, to rush; to catch (a train); to drive away
Word origin
A phono-semantic character built on 走 (to run, to go) with 旱 (hàn) as the phonetic element, giving the sense of moving in haste or driving something on.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 走 (to run) + 旱 (hàn, phonetic)
Stroke order
赶
Examples
。
We have to rush to the airport.
。
I want to catch the earliest bus.
，。
Hurry up, we are pressed for time.
。
She shooed the cat out of the kitchen.
。
They travelled hard for three hours.
赶 (gǎn) is speed under pressure. It covers hurrying somewhere (赶去医院), catching transport that will not wait (赶飞机, 赶末班车), and racing a deadline (赶作业, 赶时间). Whenever there is a clock involved, 赶 is the verb.
It also means to drive something away, which is the older sense: 赶羊 is to drive sheep, 赶苍蝇 is to swat flies off, 把他赶出去 is to throw someone out. English keeps these two ideas in separate words, but the thread is the same, pushing something along faster than it wants to go.
The trap is 追. Both look like chase, but 追 is pursuing a thing that is moving away from you, while 赶 is hurrying to reach something in time. 追公共汽车 pictures you running after a bus that has already pulled off; 赶公共汽车 is the ordinary business of getting to the stop before it leaves.
Where this fits
Used in
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赶: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "赶" (to hurry, to rush; to catch (a train); to drive away): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 48.