ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

闸 zhá sluice

sluice; floodgate; canal lock

How to remember 闸: 门 door + 甲 armor = sluice. The lock keeper opens the heavy door, and a boat full of tourists in plastic knight armor floats into the sluice.

  • HSK 9
  • 8 strokes
  • Radical 门

Component breakdown

闸 = 门 door + 甲 armor

  • 门 door
  • 甲 armor
The Gushi story

The lock keeper opens the heavy door, and a boat full of tourists in plastic knight armor floats into the sluice.

How it is used

  • A sluice/floodgate and by extension any switch that stops flow: 水闸 (shuǐzhá) water gate, 闸门 (zhámén) floodgate.
  • Very common as an electrical/braking control - 电闸 (diànzhá) the main power switch, 拉闸 (lā zhá) to pull the switch / cut power, 刹闸 (shā zhá) to brake a bike.
  • So beyond dams it's the 'kill switch' word for electricity and bicycle brakes.