制服 zhìfú to subdue
to subdue; to check; to bring under control; (in former times) what one is allowed to wear depending on social status; uniform (army, party, school etc); livery (for company employees)
How to remember 制服: 制 system + 服 clothes = to subdue.
Characters
How it is used
- Two jobs. As a noun, a uniform - 学生穿着制服 (xuésheng chuānzhe zhìfú) the students wear uniforms; measure word 套.
- As a verb (制/服), to subdue or bring under control by force - 警察制服了歹徒 (jǐngchá zhìfúle dǎitú) the police subdued the criminal.
- The noun is neutral/everyday; the verb implies overpowering resistance, physical or otherwise.
Example sentences
- 他们都穿着制服。 Tāmen dōu chuānzhe zhìfú.They were all dressed in uniforms.
- 在他们控制我们之前，我们先制服他们。 Zài tāmen kòngzhì wǒmen zhīqián, wǒmen xiān zhìfú tāmen.Get them before they get us.
- 犯罪现场有三名穿制服的警察。 Fànzuìxiànchǎng yǒu sānmíng chuān zhìfú de jǐngchá.There were three uniformed police officers at the crime scene.