Definition
赶 (gǎn) means to hurry to catch a vehicle/event or to rush to beat a deadline (e.g., 赶火车 'catch a train', 赶时间 'rush against time'). Unlike 忙 (máng 'busy, to hurry in general'), 赶 targets a specific goal; it also contrasts with 赶上 (gǎn shàng), which emphasizes successfully making it in time rather than just the effort. For 'drive away', 赶 is neutral; 撵 (niǎn) is more informal and aggressive.
verb
to catch (a vehicle, event)to make it in time forto hurryto rushto drive awayto shoo
Easily confused
- 赴fùlook-aliketo go to (a formal event or place)
- 干gànsound-aliketo do, to work, to manage (a task)
- 起qǐlook-alike(verb) to get up; to rise
- 干gānsound-alikedry (adjective)
- 陡dǒulook-alikesteep, precipitous
- 敢gǎnsound-aliketo dare, to be bold enough to (do something)
- 越yuèlook-alike(adverb, in structure '越A越B') the more... the more
- 感gǎnsound-alike(suffix) sense of ∼; feeling of ∼ (forms abstract nouns)
- 杆gǎnsound-alike(noun) a stick, pole, or lever
- 肝gānsound-alikeliver (organ)
Examples
- 赶。Tā měitiān dōu gǎn qī diǎn de huǒchē shàngbān.He catches the 7 o'clock train to work every day.
- 赶，。Wǒmen yào gǎn shíjiān, kuài yì diǎn wánchéng zuòyè.We need to hurry and finish the homework a bit faster.
- 赶？Nǐ gǎn zài sān diǎn zhīqián lái ma?Will you come by 3 o'clock?
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