Chinese Conversation · Level 10
90 words
Chinese word
拉
Pronunciation
Pinyinlā
Meaning
- verbpull
Example
别拉我的衣服。bié lā wǒ de yī fú
Don't pull on my clothes.
More examples
他忘了拉拉链就出门了。tā wàng le lā lā liàn jiù chū mén le
He forgot to zip up before going out.
Core concept
A hand or tool draws something along a path, with the same idea drawing people into a group or a bow across strings.
Common phrases
拉拉链lā lā liàn
zip up
拉衣服lā yī fú
pull on clothes
Similar words
拖tuō: Pulling an object across the floor or ground while it stays in contact with the surface.
推tuī: Using the hands or body to move an object or person forward or away.
拿ná: Grasping an object and keeping it in the hand.
带dài: Bringing a person or object along to another place.
Definition in Chinese
用手或借助工具把物体从一处向另一处用力牵引或拖动；口语中也常用来表示招揽或拉拢他人参加某事，且可用于表示用弓演奏弦乐器的动作。yòng shǒu huò jiè zhù gōng jù bǎ wù tǐ cóng yí chù xiàng lìng yí chù yòng lì qiān yǐn huò tuō dòng kóu yǔ zhōng yě cháng yòng lái biǎo shì zhāo lǎn huò lā lǒng tā rén cān jiā mǒu shì qiě kě yòng yú biǎo shì yòng gōng yǎn zòu xián yuè qì de dòng zuò
Word origin
拉 (lā, "pull") is a phono-semantic character in which 扌 (shǒu, "hand") marks a hand action and 立 (lì, "stand") mainly supplies the sound.
Usage tips
- English-speaking learners often reserve pull for objects, but Chinese also uses this verb when a person is brought into a team or activity, so the surrounding noun matters.