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清道

qīngdào
verb #34,677

Meanings

  1. 1 to sweep / clean the street
  2. 2 to clear the road (especially for the passage of royalty or VIPs)

Examples

环卫工人天不亮就开始清道。
Huánwèi gōngrén tiān bù liàng jiù kāishǐ qīngdào.
Sanitation workers start sweeping the streets before dawn.
古时皇帝出行，沿途必先清道。
Gǔshí huángdì chūxíng, yántú bì xiān qīngdào.
In ancient times, when the emperor traveled, the route had to be cleared in advance.

Tips

history
In imperial China 清道 was a strict protocol: when the emperor or a high official traveled, runners cleared commoners off the route — failing to step aside was a serious offense. The phrase 鸣锣开道 (sounding gongs to clear the way) describes this practice. Modern 清道夫 (qīngdàofū) — 'street sweeper' — preserves the term.
usage
Today the everyday meaning is 'to sweep the streets' (sanitation work). The historical 'clear the road for VIPs' sense survives in literature and historical fiction; in modern political contexts it shows up as 清场 (qīngchǎng, clear the venue) or 戒严 (jièyán, impose curfew).

Stroke Order

清 qīng
道 dào