Definition
插队 is a separable verb (离合词) with two distinct meanings. The modern meaning is 'to cut in line' or 'jump a queue' — the most common use in everyday speech. The historical meaning refers to urban youth being sent to live and work in rural production brigades during the Cultural Revolution (the 'Down to the Countryside' movement). As a separable verb, you can insert elements like 了, 过, or time phrases between 插 and 队, e.g., 插过队 (have done the queue-jumping or historical experience), 插了两年的队 (spent two years in the countryside).
v.o.
to jump a queueto cut in line(historical, PRC) to go and settle in a production brigade in the countryside (during the Cultural Revolution)
Examples
- ，。Tā chā le duì, dàjiā dōu hěn bù gāoxìng.He cut in line, and everyone was very unhappy.
- 插队！Qǐng bú yào chā duì!Please don't cut in line!
- 插队。Tā niánqīng shí chā duì qù le nóngcūn.When he was young, he went to the countryside to join a production brigade.
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