阻止

• Pinyin: zǔ zhǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 阻 = 阜 (mound/hill radical) + 且 (moreover, phonetic), to obstruct; 止 = pictograph of a foot, to stop or halt

Meaning

To stop; to prevent; to block. To use effort or authority to keep something from happening or continuing.

Implies active intervention to halt an ongoing action or prevent a future one. Stronger than 防止 (to guard against) and more immediate than 阻碍 (to hinder). Common in contexts of conflict, safety, law, and interpersonal situations. The object is typically an action or a person performing an action.

Examples

1. 警察及时赶到，阻止了一场严重的交通事故。 The police arrived in time and prevented a serious traffic accident.
2. 她试图阻止他离开，但他还是头也不回地走了。 She tried to stop him from leaving, but he walked away without looking back.
3. 任何人都无法阻止科技进步的步伐。 No one can stop the pace of technological progress.

Usage Guide

Context: conflict, law, safety, interpersonal

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 我们必须想办法阻止这件事发生。(We must find a way to prevent this from happening.)
• 他阻止了弟弟跑到马路上。(He stopped his younger brother from running onto the road.)

Don't Say

• 用'阻止'描述无意识的阻碍 (Don't use 阻止 for unintentional obstruction — use 阻碍 or 妨碍 for unconscious hindrance)

Origin & History

Compound of 阻 (to block, obstruct) and 止 (to stop, halt). Both characters independently mean 'to stop or impede', making the compound emphatic.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal