驱
Character Story & Explanation
驱 is widely used in modern standard Chinese for official, medical, and technical contexts — especially in phrases like 驱蚊 (qūwén, 'mosquito repellent') and 驱车 (qūchē, 'to drive a vehicle'). It appears in the common idiom 驱之不去 (qū zhī bù qù, 'cannot be driven away'), describing persistent problems like anxiety or rumors. Historically, it appears in Tang dynasty medical texts (e.g., Sun Simiao’s *Qian Jin Yao Fang*) referring to expelling pathogenic factors from the body.
The character evolved from seal script; its current form clearly retains the 马 (horse) radical on the left, symbolizing dynamic movement, and the phonetic component 区 on the right. No oracle-bone form survives, but by the Han dynasty, 驱 was standardized to express purposeful, forceful expulsion — consistent with its usage today.
Hi students! Let’s learn 驱 (qū), a Level 6 HSK character with just 7 strokes — but don’t let its simplicity fool you! It belongs to the 马 (mǎ, ‘horse’) radical, which hints at motion and force — think of a horse galloping forward to push something away. The right side, 区 (qū), acts as a phonetic clue, helping you remember both sound and meaning: it suggests containment or separation, reinforcing the idea of driving *out*.
This character is very active — it’s never passive. When you see 驱, imagine deliberate, energetic action: expelling pests, driving away danger, or even motivating people forward. Unlike softer synonyms like ‘remove’ or ‘ask to leave’, 驱 carries urgency and authority — like a guard shooing intruders or a doctor驱邪 (driving away evil influences) in traditional medical texts.
While beginners might first meet it in compounds like 驱虫 (qūchóng, 'to expel parasites'), it appears across formal and literary registers — from news headlines about driving out corruption (驱逐腐败) to classical poetry describing winds driving clouds. Mastering 驱 helps you understand not just vocabulary, but how Chinese expresses agency, control, and decisive action.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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