颠簸 diānbǒ to be jolted around
to be jolted around (car on a bumpy road, boat on a rough sea, aircraft experiencing turbulence); (figuratively) to undergo a rough experience
How to remember 颠簸: 颠 peak + 簸 dustpan = to be jolted around.
Characters
How it is used
- To jolt / bump around - of a vehicle on rough roads or a plane in turbulence - 山路颠簸得厉害 (shānlù diānbǒ de lìhài) the mountain road is terribly bumpy.
- Concrete physical jolting; figuratively a rough, unstable stretch of experience (人生的颠簸).
- Read diān bǒ. Contrast 摇晃 (yáohuàng, to sway/rock) - 颠簸 is the up-and-down jouncing of travel.
Example sentences
- 橡皮筏在河里颠簸着。 Xiàngpífá zài hé lǐ diānbǒzhe.The rubber raft tossed about on the river.