Chinese word

塞

Pronunciation

Pinyinsāi

Meaning

  • verbstuff

Example

他把药塞进了口袋。tā bǎ yào sāi jìn le kǒu dài

He stuffed the medicine into his pocket.

Illustration for 塞 (stuff)

More examples

她在书页里塞了一张便条。tā zài shū yè lǐ sāi le yì zhāng biàn tiáo

She stuffed a note between the pages of the book.

Core concept

An object is pushed into a confined opening until the space is full and the passage is closed.

Common phrases

  • 把钱塞进钱包bǎ qián sāi jìn qián bāo

    stuff money into a wallet

  • 塞进嘴里sāi jìn zuí lǐ

    stuff into the mouth

  • 塞到抽屉里sāi dào chōu tì lǐ

    stuff into a drawer

Similar words

插chā: Put a thin object or rod into a hole or narrow space.
填满tián mǎn: Make an empty area or container full of solid material or liquid.
堵dǔ: Close off an opening or route and stop anything from passing through.
推tuī: Use force to move something forward or deeper.

Definition in Chinese

把某物塞入缝隙、袋口或口中，使该处被填满或被堵住。bǎ mǒu wù sāi rù fèng xì dài kǒu huò kǒu zhōng shǐ gāi chù bèi tián mǎn huò bèi dǔ zhù

Word origin

The character 塞 (sāi, "to stuff; to block") is also linked to the older noun sense of a barrier or fortress, connecting packed material with a closed route.

Usage tips

  • In casual Chinese, this verb often carries a sense of force or crowding that English speakers may miss when choosing a neutral placement verb.

Other meanings

  • blockverb

Opposites

  • 掏出tāo chūtake outverb
  • 拔出bá chūpull outverb

Related words

  • 塞住sāi zhùblockverb
  • 塞车sāi chētraffic jamnoun

Word lists with this word