劝阻

• Pinyin: quàn zǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 劝 = 又 + 力 (effort to persuade); 阻 = 阜 + 且 (mound + moreover — to block or obstruct)

Meaning

To dissuade; to talk someone out of doing something; to discourage an intended action through persuasion.

Specifically implies preventing an action, not merely offering advice. Suggests the speaker believes the proposed action is unwise, dangerous, or harmful. 劝阻无效 (persuasion failed to stop) is a common phrase in news reports.

Examples

1. 同事们多次劝阻他不要孤身深入险境，但他执意前行。 His coworkers tried many times to dissuade him from going alone into danger, but he insisted on pressing ahead.
2. 面对亲人的再三劝阻，他依然坚持辞职创业的决定。 Despite repeated attempts by family to talk him out of it, he still insisted on quitting and starting a business.
3. 目击者及时出言劝阻，才避免了一场激烈的街头冲突。 A witness spoke up in time to stop them, preventing a violent street confrontation.

Usage Guide

Context: safety, conflict prevention, personal decisions

Tone: concerned

Do Say

• 消防员在现场极力劝阻围观群众靠近危险区域，以防发生次生事故。(Firefighters on the scene strongly dissuaded onlookers from approaching the danger zone to prevent secondary accidents.)
• 尽管家人多方劝阻，她还是毅然登上了前往偏远山区支教的班车。(Despite her family's repeated attempts to dissuade her, she resolutely boarded the bus heading to a remote mountain area to teach.)

Don't Say

• 我劝阻了他去参加婚礼 — use 劝他不要去参加婚礼 or 阻止他参加婚礼; 劝阻 takes a verbal complement (劝阻某人做某事), not a noun phrase directly

Origin & History

劝 (persuade) + 阻 (obstruct/stop) — to persuade someone to stop a planned action

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal