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

他开车撞到了树上。

Tā kāichē zhuàngdào le shùshàng.

He crashed his car into a tree.

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.

两辆车撞在了一起。

Liǎng liàng chē zhuàng zài le yīqǐ.

Two cars collided.

小心，别撞到头。

Xiǎoxīn, bié zhuàngdào tóu.

Careful, don't bump your head.

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.