撞 (zhuàng) · to bump into; to collide with

Meanings

1 to bump into; to collide with
2 to run into (someone by accident); to meet by chance

Characters

撞

zhuang

to hit; to collide; to bump into

Examples

HSK 3

我在超市撞见了老同学。

Wǒ zài chāoshì zhuàngjiàn le lǎo tóngxué.

I ran into an old classmate at the supermarket.

HSK 3

小心，别撞到头。

Xiǎoxīn, bié zhuàngdào tóu.

Careful, don't bump your head.

HSK 5

这起严重的交通事故是两车相撞造成的。

Zhè qǐ yánzhòng de jiāotōng shìgù shì liǎng chē xiāngzhuàng zàochéng de.

This serious traffic accident was caused by two cars colliding.

Tips

usage

撞见 = to run into / bump into someone. 撞车 = car crash. 撞衫 = to wear the same outfit as someone else (fashion "collision")!

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand (left-side radical)

Three-stroke hand radical on the left - the side-form of 手. Marks 撞 as a forceful hand-action: striking, ramming, knocking into. Same radical anchors 打 hit, 推 push, 抓 grab, 拍 slap. Pins the meaning to physical impact made by an agent - typically with the body or a hand-held object - rather than passive collision.

phonetic

童 tóng

child; servant boy

Right side 童 supplies the sound (tóng to zhuàng, an old t-/tr- alternation). 童 itself depicts a young servant or child with a tattoo brand on the forehead - bonded labour. Same phonetic appears in 钟 bell, 种 to plant, 撞 to bump. The bell-association is faintly relevant: a bell is something repeatedly struck, fitting 撞's collision sense.