压 (yā): to press, to push down, to keep under (control)
压 (yā) is a Chinese character meaning “to press.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 厂 (structural). It ranks #756 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 压 soil 土 crushed under pressure 厂. Its radical form 厂 (cliff) appears in many related characters such as 原 (yuán, former), 厂 (hǎn, "cliff" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 27), occurring in 原, 历, 压 etc), 历 (lì, to experience).
Definitions
- to press
- to push down
- to keep under (control)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSoil 土 crushed under pressure 厂
Decomposition: ⿸厂⿰土丶 (layout: surround-from-upper-left)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 压
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 压力noun | yā lì | pressure | 4 |
| 血压noun | xuè yā | blood pressure | 6 |
| 减压verb | jiǎn yā | to reduce pressure | 6 |
| 压缩verb | yā suō | to compress | 6 |
| 压岁钱noun | yā suì qián | money given to children as a gift on Chinese New Year's Eve | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 压抑 | yā yì | to constrain or repress emotions |
| 压迫 | yā pò | to oppress |
| 施压 | shī yā | to pressure |
| 气压 | qì yā | atmospheric pressure |
| 压倒 | yā dǎo | to overwhelm |
| 高压 | gāo yā | (physics) high pressure |
| 镇压 | zhèn yā | suppression |
| 电压 | diàn yā | voltage |
| 挤压 | jǐ yā | to squeeze |
| 高血压 | gāo xuè yā | high blood pressure |
| 压低 | yā dī | to lower (one's voice) |
| 压榨 | yā zhà | to press |
| 加压 | jiā yā | to pressurize |
| 液压 | yè yā | hydraulic pressure |
| 变压器 | biàn yā qì | transformer |
压 appears in 100 compound words: 34 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 19 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 压 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
这个压字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě yā zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "压" carries different meanings in classical Chinese.
高市带领自民党大胜背后:债市与汇市的双重压力正迎面而来
gāo shì dài lǐng zì mín dǎng dà shèng bèi hòu : zhài shì yǔ huì shì de shuāng chóng yā lì zhèng yíng miàn ér lái
Behind the victory led by the Liberal Democratic Party: the dual pressure of the bond market and the foreign exchange market is coming
...邦AI报告震撼华尔街 支付与软体股全面承压
. . . bāng A I bào gào zhèn hàn huá ěr jiē zhī fù yǔ ruǎn tǐ gǔ quán miàn chéng yā
... Bang AI report shocked Wall Street, and payment and software stocks were under full pressure
川普施压伊朗恐有反效果 使中东陷入新动荡
chuān pǔ shī yā yī lǎng kǒng yǒu fǎn xiào guǒ shǐ zhōng dōng xiàn rù xīn dòng dàng
Trump's pressure on Iran may have the opposite effect and plunge the Middle East into new turmoil
...向球〉金马开红盘奔向3万4?两大变数酿短压 关注五大族群走势
. . . xiàng qiú jīn mǎ kāi hóng pán bēn xiàng 3 wàn 4 ? liǎng dà biàn shǔ niàng duǎn yā guān zhù wǔ dà zú qún zǒu shì
... Xiang Qiu〉 Golden Horse opened a red plate and ran to 30,000 4? Two major variables brew short-term pressure and pay attention to the trend of the five major groups
WBC/大联盟官网预测! 中华队晋级 力压南韩队
W B C dà lián méng guān wǎng yù cè ! zhōng huá duì jìn jí lì yā nán hán duì
WBC/Major League Baseball official website predictions! The Chinese team advanced to beat the South Korean team
这个国家的政府压迫人民。
Zhège guójiā de zhèngfǔ yāpò rénmín.
The government of this country oppresses its people.
我无法压抑心中的怒火。
Wǒ wúfǎ yāyì xīnzhōng de nùhuǒ.
I couldn't keep my anger down.
计划受到舆论的压力而被取消了。
Jìhuà shòudào yúlùn de yālì ér bèi qǔxiāo le.
The plan was given up under the pressure of public opinion.
橡皮不硬：它在压力下会变形。
Xiàngpí bù yìng: tā zài yālì xià huì biànxíng.
Rubber is not hard: it gives way to pressure.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 压 (yā) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 压 and 拉?
How many strokes does 压 have?
What is the radical of 压?
What are the components of 压?
What are common words containing 压?
What characters sound the same as 压 (yā)?
Is 压 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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