dǎng zhù: 挡住 - To Block, To Obstruct, To Get in the Way

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• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese verb compound 挡住 (dǎng zhù), which means “to block” or “to obstruct.” This page breaks down how to use 挡住 for everything from a person blocking your view of the TV to clouds blocking the sun. Discover the simple grammar behind this resultative verb, see practical examples, and understand how it differs from similar words like 阻止 (zǔzhǐ) and 堵住 (dǔ zhù).

• Pinyin (with tone marks): dǎng zhù
• Part of Speech: Verb Compound (Resultative)
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: To successfully block, obstruct, or get in the way of something.
• In a Nutshell: 挡住 (dǎng zhù) is a straightforward and common term used when one thing physically or metaphorically gets in the way of another. It's a “resultative compound,” meaning it combines an action with a result. The action is 挡 (dǎng), “to block,” and the result is 住 (zhù), which signifies that the blocking action was successful and is now in a fixed state. Think of it as “to block-and-stop.”

• 挡 (dǎng): This character means “to block,” “to ward off,” or “to obstruct.” The radical on the left, 扌, is the “hand radical,” indicating an action performed with the hand. The right side, 当, provides the phonetic sound. You can imagine putting your hand up to stop something.
• 住 (zhù): While its most common meaning is “to live” or “to reside,” in this context, 住 is a “result complement.” It attaches to a verb to show that the action has been completed successfully, resulting in a firm, fixed, or stopped state. So, `挡住` literally means “to block to a stop.”

The two characters combine to create a clear meaning: the action of blocking (挡) has achieved its result of stopping or fixing something in place (住).

While 挡住 (dǎng zhù) is primarily a functional, everyday word, its usage can reflect a cultural directness that might differ from Western norms. In many English-speaking cultures, you might politely say, “Excuse me, I can't quite see the screen,” to hint that someone is in the way. In China, it is perfectly normal and not considered rude to state the fact directly: “不好意思，你挡住我了” (Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ dǎng zhù wǒ le) - “Excuse me, you're blocking me.” This reflects a pragmatic approach to communication where clearly stating a physical reality is efficient and not taken as a personal slight. Metaphorically, the concept of being “blocked” is universal, but in Chinese it can take on specific flavors. For example, one might complain that a competitor is trying to “挡住我的财路” (dǎng zhù wǒ de cáilù) - “block my road to wealth.” This ties into the pragmatic, goal-oriented aspects of modern business and social life. The visual of a physical roadblock is applied directly to the path of one's fortune.

挡住 (dǎng zhù) is extremely common in daily life. Its usage is almost always neutral, simply stating a fact.

• Physical Obstructions: This is the most frequent usage. It can refer to anything that blocks a path, a view, or a signal.
  • A person blocking your way in the subway.
  • A parked car blocking the road.
  • A tall building blocking the sunlight to your apartment.
• Metaphorical Blocking: While less common than physical blocking, it is still used.
  • Fear can 挡住 a person's path to success.
  • Traditional ideas can 挡住 progress.
• In Sports: It's frequently used in sports commentary.
  • A goalkeeper 挡住 a shot (守门员挡住了射门).
  • A basketball player 挡住 an opponent's path to the basket.

• Example 1:
  • 一棵倒下的树挡住了路。
  • Pinyin: Yī kē dǎo xià de shù dǎng zhù le lù.
  • English: A fallen tree blocked the road.
  • Analysis: A classic, literal example. The tree (树) successfully blocked (挡住) the road (路). The `了 (le)` indicates the completion of this action.
• Example 2:
  • 不好意思，你的头挡住我的视线了。
  • Pinyin: Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ de tóu dǎng zhù wǒ de shìxiàn le.
  • English: Excuse me, your head is blocking my line of sight.
  • Analysis: A very common and polite way to ask someone to move. `视线 (shìxiàn)` means “line of sight.”
• Example 3:
  • 他伸出手，挡住了飞来的球。
  • Pinyin: Tā shēn chū shǒu, dǎng zhù le fēi lái de qiú.
  • English: He reached out his hand and blocked the incoming ball.
  • Analysis: This example highlights the “action + result” nature. He performed the action of blocking, and it was successful.
• Example 4:
  • 乌云挡住了太阳，天变暗了。
  • Pinyin: Wūyún dǎng zhù le tàiyáng, tiān biàn àn le.
  • English: The dark clouds blocked the sun, and the sky became dark.
  • Analysis: Here, an inanimate object (clouds) is the agent. 挡住 can be used for both animate and inanimate subjects.
• Example 5:
  • 你能不能把车移一下？它挡住我的车库门了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ néng bùnéng bǎ chē yí yīxià? Tā dǎng zhù wǒ de chēkù mén le.
  • English: Can you move your car a bit? It's blocking my garage door.
  • Analysis: A practical, real-life request. The result of the car being there is that the door is successfully blocked.
• Example 6:
  • 守门员没能挡住那个点球。
  • Pinyin: Shǒuményuán méi néng dǎng zhù nàge diǎnqiú.
  • English: The goalkeeper failed to block that penalty kick.
  • Analysis: This shows the negative form. `没能 (méi néng)` means “was not able to.” The action of blocking was attempted but the result (住) was not achieved.
• Example 7:
  • 我怕困难会挡住我前进的脚步。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ pà kùnnán huì dǎng zhù wǒ qiánjìn de jiǎobù.
  • English: I'm afraid that difficulties will block my steps of progress.
  • Analysis: A great metaphorical example. “Steps of progress” (`前进的脚步`) are being obstructed by an abstract concept, “difficulties” (`困难`).
• Example 8:
  • 他站在门口，把所有人都挡住了。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhàn zài ménkǒu, bǎ suǒyǒu rén dōu dǎng zhù le.
  • English: He stood in the doorway, blocking everyone.
  • Analysis: The `把 (bǎ)` construction is used here to emphasize the object (`所有人`, everyone) that is being affected by the action of blocking.
• Example 9:
  • 请不要用手挡住摄像头。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng bùyào yòng shǒu dǎng zhù shèxiàngtóu.
  • English: Please don't block the camera lens with your hand.
  • Analysis: A simple command or request using `请不要 (qǐng bùyào)`.
• Example 10:
  • 一道墙挡住了他们之间的沟通。
  • Pinyin: Yīdào qiáng dǎng zhù le tāmen zhī jiān de gōutōng.
  • English: A wall blocked the communication between them.
  • Analysis: Another metaphorical use. The “wall” isn't literal but represents a barrier to communication.

• `挡住 (dǎng zhù)` vs. `挡 (dǎng)`: `挡` is just the action of trying to block. `挡住` is the successful result. If a goalie dives to block a ball but misses, you can say 他挡了一下，但是没挡住 (Tā dǎng le yīxià, dànshì méi dǎng zhù) - “He tried to block it, but he didn't succeed.”
• `挡住 (dǎng zhù)` vs. `阻止 (zǔzhǐ)`: This is a common point of confusion.
  • 挡住 is almost always about a physical or direct obstruction. You block a person, a road, a view.
  • 阻止 (zǔzhǐ) means “to prevent” and is used for actions, events, or plans. It's more abstract.
  • Correct: 我要阻止他犯这个错误。(Wǒ yào zǔzhǐ tā fàn zhège cuòwù.) - I want to prevent him from making this mistake.
  • Incorrect: 我要挡住他犯这个错误。 (This sounds very strange, as if you would physically stand in front of him to stop the “mistake.”)
• `挡住 (dǎng zhù)` vs. `堵住 (dǔ zhù)`:
  • 挡住 is about obstructing a path or view.
  • 堵住 (dǔ zhù) means “to block up” or “to clog.” It's used for things like pipes, drains, or a road completely filled with traffic (堵车, dǔchē). It implies filling a hole or passage.
  • Example: A car can 挡住 a road (by being in the way), but heavy traffic will 堵住 the road (by filling it up).

• 阻挡 (zǔdǎng) - A more formal, often written, synonym for “to block” or “to obstruct.”
• 拦住 (lán zhù) - To intercept or stop someone/something in motion. It has a stronger sense of stopping a moving target than `挡住`.
• 堵住 (dǔ zhù) - To block up, clog, plug (a hole, a pipe, a road with traffic).
• 阻止 (zǔzhǐ) - To prevent or stop an action or event from happening (more abstract).
• 遮住 (zhē zhù) - To cover up, to block by covering. Often used for light or sight. For example, `云遮住了月亮` (The clouds covered the moon) is very common.
• 阻碍 (zǔ'ài) - To hinder, to be an obstacle to. Can be used as a verb or a noun (an obstacle).
• 障碍 (zhàng'ài) - A noun meaning “obstacle,” “barrier,” or “hindrance.”