Chinese word

叼

Pronunciation

Pinyindiāo

Meaning

  • verbcarry in one's mouth

Example

小狗把鞋子叼走了。xiáo gǒu bǎ xié zi diāo zǒu le

The puppy carried the shoe away in its mouth.

Illustration for 叼 (carry in one's mouth)

More examples

孩子一不注意，玩具就被狗叼走了。hái zi yí bú zhù yì wán jù jiù bèi gǒu diāo zǒu le

When the child is not paying attention, the dog carries the toy away in its mouth.

Core concept

A person or animal uses the mouth as a temporary hand, keeping an object there while moving.

Common phrases

  • 把东西叼走bǎ dōng xī diāo zǒu

    carry something away in one's mouth

Similar words

含hán: Keeping something in the mouth without swallowing it.
咬yǎo: Closing the teeth on something to bite it.
吞tūn: Moving food or another object from the mouth into the stomach.
捡jiǎn: Picking something up from the ground or another surface.

Definition in Chinese

用嘴把东西含在口中并可能随身带走，既可指动物也可指人，常用于口语表达。yòng zuǐ bǎ dōng xī hán zài kǒu zhōng bìng kě néng suí shēn dài zǒu jì kě zhǐ dòng wù yě kě zhǐ rén cháng yòng yú kóu yǔ biǎo dá

Word origin

The form 叼 (diāo, "carry in one's mouth") combines 口 (kǒu, "mouth") + 刁 (diāo, "clever"), using the first for the mouth-related meaning and the second mainly for its sound.

Usage tips

  • Used for a person, this verb gives a scene a deliberately vivid, informal feel rather than a neutral report.

Opposites

Word lists with this word