HSK · Level 6
133 words
Chinese word
投
Pronunciation
Pinyintóu
Meaning
- verbthrow
Example
他把球投给我了。tā bǎ qiú tóu gěi wǒ le
He threw the ball to me.
More examples
请把纸条投进垃圾桶里。qǐng bǎ zhǐ tiáo tóu jìn lā jī tǒng lǐ
Please throw the note into the trash can.
Core concept
Moving something from oneself toward another person, place, or goal.
Common phrases
投给tóu gěi
throw to
投进tóu jìn
throw into
投球tóu qiú
throw a ball
Similar words
投掷tóu zhì: Throw something hard and far with force.
抛pāo: Toss something lightly with one hand upward or forward.
扔rēng: Fling something away from the hand, often without care.
丢diū: Lose something or drop it so it is no longer in hand.
Definition in Chinese
用手把东西向前掷出或送给别人的动作。yòng shóu bǎ dōng xī xiàng qián zhì chū huò sòng gěi bié rén de dòng zuò
Word origin
In 投 (tóu, "throw"), 扌 (shǒu, "hand") supplies the meaning of a hand action, while 殳 (shū, "ancient weapon") serves chiefly as the phonetic component rather than adding the meaning of a weapon.
Usage tips
- Sports vocabulary uses 投篮 (tóulán, "shoot a basketball") where English uses shoot, so the English translation changes with the target even though the Chinese verb stays the same.