Chinese word

抖

Pronunciation

Pinyindǒu

Meaning

  • verbshake

Example

他把枕头抖了一下，又整理好。tā bǎ zhěn tou dǒu le yí xià yòu zhéng lǐ hǎo

He shook the pillow once, then straightened it.

Illustration for 抖 (shake)

More examples

她把桌布抖了下，灰尘落在地上。tā bǎ zhuō bù dǒu le xià huī chén luò zài dì shàng

She shook the tablecloth, and dust fell to the floor.

Core concept

A quick, small movement loosens attached material or briefly makes a body quiver.

Common phrases

  • 把被子抖开bǎ bèi zi dǒu kāi

    shake the quilt open

  • 把书包抖一抖bǎ shū bāo dǒu yì dǒu

    give the backpack a shake

  • 把灰尘抖掉bǎ huī chén dǒu diào

    shake off the dust

Similar words

摇yáo: Moving an object back and forth or from side to side by hand or force.
甩shuǎi: Forcefully swinging or throwing an object to one side, sending attached dust or water flying.
发抖fā dǒu: Involuntary trembling of the whole body or part of it from cold, fear, or tension.
拍pāi: Lightly tapping an object's surface with a hand or tool to remove dust.

Definition in Chinese

用手使物体快速摆动以摆脱附着物或使内部松散，在口语中也常用来描述短促的抖动或颤动。yòng shǒu shǐ wù tǐ kuài sù bǎi dòng yǐ bǎi tuō fù zhuó wù huò shǐ nèi bù sōng sǎn zài kóu yǔ zhōng yě cháng yòng lái miáo shù duǎn cù de dǒu dòng huò chàn dòng

Word origin

抖 (dǒu, "shake") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand") + 斗 (dǒu, "dipper"); 扌 marks the hand-related action, while 斗 supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • After the verb, 掉 (diào, "fall away") can show that loose material has come off, so the sentence states the outcome as well as the movement.

Other meanings

  • shake offverb
  • trembleverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 抖落dǒu luòshake offverb
  • 抖擞dóu sǒuraise one's spiritsidiom

Word lists with this word