阻拦

• Pinyin: zǔ lán
• Hanzi breakdown: 阻 = 阝+ 且 (mound + moreover); 拦 = 扌+ 阑 (hand + railing — bar the way)

Meaning

To stop; to intercept; to try to prevent someone from doing something. Implies active intervention to block a person's action or movement.

More interpersonal than 阻挡, focusing on one person trying to stop another from acting. Common in descriptions of conflicts, protests, or situations where someone intervenes to prevent an action. Slightly less forceful than 阻止.

Examples

1. 她想冲上舞台，被保安及时阻拦在场馆入口处。 She tried to rush onto the stage, but security stopped her in time at the venue entrance.
2. 面对孩子的无理要求，家长不应一味迁就，也不应粗暴阻拦，而应耐心引导。 When faced with a child’s unreasonable demands, parents shouldn’t just give in, but they also shouldn’t shut it down harshly; they should guide the child patiently.
3. 消防员不顾危险冲入火场，旁观者的阻拦并未能让他们停下脚步。 Firefighters rushed into the blaze despite the danger, and the bystanders’ attempts to stop them couldn’t make them hesitate.

Usage Guide

Context: interpersonal, security, conflict, family

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 警卫在门口阻拦了一名试图强行进入的陌生人。(The guard stopped a stranger who was trying to force his way in at the entrance.)
• 父母虽然竭力阻拦，但女儿最终还是坚持了自己选择的职业道路。(Although the parents tried their best to stop her, the daughter ultimately persisted in the career path she had chosen.)

Don't Say

• 阻拦洪水 — for blocking physical forces or non-human phenomena use 阻挡 or 拦截; 阻拦 is primarily used when one person tries to stop another person

Origin & History

阻 (obstruct) + 拦 (bar/intercept)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal