Chinese word

抢

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiǎng

Meaning

  • verbgrab

Example

别抢我的书。bié qiǎng wǒ de shū

Don't grab my book.

Illustration for 抢 (grab)

More examples

他当街被人抢走了包。tā dāng jiē bèi rén qiáng zǒu le bāo

His bag was snatched away on the street.

Core concept

One side gets the object, position, or opportunity by moving in first and taking it out of another's reach.

Common phrases

  • 抢劫qiǎng jié

    rob

  • 抢购qiǎng gòu

    buy up

  • 抢走qiáng zǒu

    snatch away

Similar words

夺取duó qǔ: Gaining something or a position through force or other effective means.
抢占qiǎng zhàn: Quickly securing a place or opportunity and making it one's own.
争夺zhēng duó: Competing fiercely with others to gain possession of something.
抢劫qiǎng jié: Taking money or goods from someone by making them surrender them against their will.

Definition in Chinese

迅速地从他人或某处夺取东西、位置或机会，常含抢先或占有的意味。xùn sù dì cóng tā rén huò mǒu chù duó qǔ dōng xī wèi zhì huò jī huì cháng hán qiǎng xiān huò zhàn yǒu de yì wèi

Word origin

The traditional form 搶 (qiǎng, "to grab") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand") with 倉 (cāng, "granary"), using the hand radical to signal an action while 倉 provides the main sound clue.

Usage tips

  • When the object is a seat, ticket, or opportunity, the word can describe fast competition rather than wrongdoing, so context prevents an overly harsh English choice.

Other meanings

  • stealverb
  • robverb
  • snatchverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word