障 (zhàng): to block, to hinder, to obstruct
障 (zhàng) is a Chinese character meaning “to block.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (semantic) and 章 (phonetic). It ranks #1231 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 障 wall. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- to block
- to hinder
- to obstruct
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 障 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 障
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 障碍noun/verb | zhàng ài | barrier | 6 |
| 故障noun | gù zhàng | malfunction | 6 |
| 保障verb/noun | bǎo zhàng | to ensure | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 路障 | lù zhàng | roadblock |
| 障碍物 | zhàng ài wù | obstacle |
| 屏障 | píng zhàng | barrier |
| 障眼法 | zhàng yǎn fǎ | diversionary tactic |
| 白内障 | bái nèi zhàng | cataract (ophthalmology) |
| 一叶障目 | yī yè zhàng mù | lit. eyes obscured by a single leaf (idiom) |
| 孽障 | niè zhàng | evil creature |
| 社会保障 | shè huì bǎo zhàng | social security |
| 性同一性障碍 | xìng tóng yī xìng zhàng ài | gender identity disorder |
| 性别认同障碍 | xìng bié rèn tóng zhàng ài | gender identity disorder (GID) |
| 单点故障 | dān diǎn gù zhàng | single point of failure |
| 质量保障 | zhì liàng bǎo zhàng | quality assurance (QA) |
| 智障人士 | zhì zhàng rén shì | person with learning difficulties (handicap) |
| 分裂情感性障碍 | fēn liè qíng gǎn xìng zhàng ài | schizoaffective disorder |
| 创伤后应激障碍 | chuāng shāng hòu yìng jī zhàng ài | post-traumatic stress disorder |
障 appears in 45 compound words: 20 as the first character, 44 as the last, and 36 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 障 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
语言障碍是跨国交流中的主要困难之一。
Yǔyán zhàng'ài shì kuàguó jiāoliú zhōng de zhǔyào kùnnan zhī yī.
Language barriers are one of the main difficulties in cross-cultural communication.
...国拟立国家消防救援人员法 加强职业安全保障
. . . guó nǐ lì guó jiā xiāo fáng jiù yuán rén yuán fǎ jiā qiáng zhí yè ān quán bǎo zhàng
... The state plans to establish the National Fire and Rescue Personnel Law to strengthen occupational safety and security
故障頻出 黃金海岸大學停用頭皮冷卻設備
gù zhàng 頻 chū 黃 jīn hǎi àn dà 學 tíng yòng 頭 pí lěng 卻 設 備
Frequent Malfunctions Prompt Gold Coast University to Suspend Scalp Cooling Devices
人倫悲歌!87歲失智父涉棄屍身障兒 3萬交保
rén 倫 bēi gē ! 歲 shī zhì fù shè 棄 屍 shēn zhàng 兒 萬 jiāo bǎo
Heartbreaking Tragedy! 87-Year-Old Dementia-Stricken Father Accused of Abandoning Disabled Son's Body; Released on $30,000 Bail
哈芝芝:政府与社团合作 保障沙福祉与稳定发展
hā zhī zhī zhèng fǔ yǔ shè tuán gě zuò bǎo zhàng shā fú 祉 yǔ wěn dìng fā zhǎn
Hazizi: Government and community cooperation to ensure the welfare and stable development of the country
首金来了!苏翊鸣生日当天获男子坡面障碍技巧金牌 曾..
shǒu jīn lái le ! sū 翊 míng shēng rì dāng tiān huò nán zǐ pō miàn zhàng ài jì qiǎo jīn pái céng . .
Here comes the first gold! Su Yiming won the gold medal in men's steeplechase on his birthday, and had...
平等是由宪法保障的。
Píngděng shì yóu xiànfǎ bǎozhàng de.
Equality is guaranteed by the Constitution.
德国在1880年代采取了一种社会保障制度。
Déguó zài 1880 niándài cǎiqǔ le yīzhǒng shèhuìbǎozhàng zhìdù.
Germany adopted a social security system in the 1880's.
这台自动贩卖机故障了。
Zhè tái zìdòng fànmàijī gùzhàng le.
This vending machine isn't working.
没有愿望是最大的障碍。
Méiyǒu yuànwàng shì zuì dà de zhàng'ài.
Having no will is the worst handicap.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 障 (zhàng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 障 and 商?
How many strokes does 障 have?
What is the radical of 障?
What are the components of 障?
What are common words containing 障?
What characters sound the same as 障 (zhàng)?
Is 障 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 障 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.