เข็น
push (something forward)
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- 1 push (something forward)、push along (a vehicle or cart)
This word means to keep pushing something so that it moves forward, especially something heavy or on wheels.
push (something forward)、push along (a vehicle or cart)
To move something forward by pushing it, especially when it is heavy, stuck, or fitted with wheels.
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ช่วยเข็นรถหน่อย chûay khěn rót nɔ̀ɔy Please help me push the car. ช่วยเข็นรถหน่อย details
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เข็นรถเข็นไปข้างหน้า khěn rót khěn pay khâŋ nâa Push the cart forward. เข็นรถเข็นไปข้างหน้า details
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พยาบาลเข็นรถเข็นผู้ป่วย pháyaabaan khěn rót khěn phûu pùay The nurse pushes the patient's wheelchair. พยาบาลเข็นรถเข็นผู้ป่วย details
Learning notes
Explanation
The central image is applying force to something that does not move easily and pushing it forward. In its basic use, เข็น describes pushing a car, cart, food stall, wheelchair, or similar object along. It usually implies continued pushing in order to move the object, rather than one brief push. Figuratively, it can describe the hard work of training a person who is slow to improve or moving a difficult task or project forward. The common expression เข็นไม่ขึ้น means that someone or something cannot be made to improve or progress despite repeated effort. The idiom เข็นครกขึ้นภูเขา, literally “push a mortar up a mountain,” refers to an extremely difficult and laborious undertaking.
Usage
In everyday situations, it is commonly used when pushing a stalled car, shopping cart, mobile food stall, wheelchair, or another object that must be pushed along. Its figurative use appears in discussions of teaching, staff development, difficult work, and stalled projects when considerable effort is needed to achieve progress.
Caution
Do not normally use เข็น for pressing a button, giving a door one push, or shoving a person; verbs such as กด or ผลัก are more appropriate in those situations. When เข็นไม่ขึ้น is applied to a person, it can sound harsh and dismissive, suggesting that the person is hopeless despite everyone's efforts. Use it cautiously, especially when speaking directly to that person.
Differences from similar words
1 push (something forward) synonyms
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ดัน broadly means to press, shove, force in, or push upward. เข็น focuses on moving something forward by continuing to push it.
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ผลัก is the general verb for pushing someone or something away and may refer to a single push. เข็น emphasizes pushing an object along to make it move, especially a car, cart, or other wheeled object.
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ลาก means to pull or drag something along. เข็น describes moving it by pushing instead.