塞 sāi to stop up
to stop up; to seal; to cork; to block; pass; frontier
How to remember 塞: 𡨄 block up + 土 earth = to stop up. Rabbits slip through the old garden wall, so grandpa wants to block up their path and shovels earth into the hole to stop up the gap.
Component breakdown
塞 = 𡨄 block up + 土 earth
- 𡨄 block up
- 土 earth
Rabbits slip through the old garden wall, so grandpa wants to block up their path and shovels earth into the hole to stop up the gap.
How it is used
- Read sāi (verb) = to stuff/cram/plug: 把东西塞进包里 (bǎ dōngxi sāi jìn bāo li) stuff things into the bag; 塞车 (sāichē) traffic jam.
- Read sè (bound, written) = to block up: 堵塞 (dǔsè) clog, 闭塞 (bìsè) obstructed/backward.
- Read sài (noun) = a frontier pass/fortress: 边塞 (biānsài) frontier, 塞翁失马 (sàiwēng-shīmǎ) a blessing in disguise.