塞 sāi / sài / sè — stop up; to squeeze in; to stuff; Serb (abbr.); Serbian; strategic pass
他把书都塞进了书包里。Tā bǎ shū dōu sāi jìn le shū bāo lǐ.He stuffed all the books into his schoolbag.
Common words: 堵塞 (dǔ sè)、闭塞 (bì sè)、要塞 (yào sài)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "stop up"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "stop up", including 塞 (sāi / sài / sè), 闭 (bì), 堵 (dǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "stop up" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 塞 (sāi / sài / sè), 闭 (bì), 堵 (dǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sāi, sài, sè, bì, dǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 塞 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 塞 sāi / sài / sèstop up; to squeeze in; to stuff; Serb (abbr.); Serbian; strategic passUseful words: 堵塞, 闭塞
- 闭 bìto close; stop up; shut; obstructUseful words: 关闭, 封闭
- 堵 dǔstop upUseful words: 堵车, 堵塞
Common words for these 3 "stop up" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 塞 (sāi / sài / sè) — so "stop up" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
堵塞dǔ sèto clog up; blockage闭塞bì sèto stop up; to close up; hard to get to; out of the way要塞yào sàistronghold; fort; fortification关闭guān bìto close; to shut (a window etc); (of a shop, school etc) to shut down封闭fēng bìto close; to seal off; to close down (an illegal venue); closed (i.e. isolated from outside input)倒闭dǎo bìto go bankrupt; to close down堵车dǔ chētraffic jam; (of traffic) to get congested堵塞dǔ sèto clog up; blockage回堵huí dǔ(Tw) (of traffic) to be jammed; traffic backup
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "stop up".
闭 bì — to close; stop up; shut; obstruct
做深呼吸的时候，请闭上眼睛。Zuò shēn hū xī de shí hou, qǐng bì shàng yǎn jing.When taking a deep breath, please close your eyes.
Common words: 关闭 (guān bì)、封闭 (fēng bì)、倒闭 (dǎo bì)
堵 dǔ — stop up
上班高峰期，马路上经常堵车。Shàng bān gāo fēng qī, mǎ lù shàng jīng cháng dǔ chē.During rush hour, the roads are often congested.
Common words: 堵车 (dǔ chē)、堵塞 (dǔ sè)、回堵 (huí dǔ)
All 3 characters
Open 塞、闭、堵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.