Chinese word

拎

Pronunciation

Pinyinlīn

Meaning

  • verbcarry

Example

我可以自己拎着行李。wǒ ké yǐ zì jǐ līn zhe xíng lǐ

I can carry my luggage myself.

Illustration for 拎 (carry)

More examples

她去市场时常常拎着菜篮子。tā qù shì chǎng shí cháng cháng līn zhe cài lán zi

She often carries a shopping basket when she goes to the market.

Core concept

A hand grips a handle or end, keeping the object hanging while it moves.

Common phrases

  • 拎着菜篮子līn zhe cài lán zi

    carry a shopping basket

  • 拎东西līn dōng xī

    carry things

Similar words

拿ná: Take hold of something or keep it in the hand.
提tí: Hold something up by hand while moving it from place to place.
抬tái: Raise an object by supporting it from below with the hands.
扛káng: Move a heavy object by resting its weight on the shoulder or arm.

Definition in Chinese

用手把物体的把手或一端抓住并提着或挂着移动。yòng shóu bǎ wù tǐ de bá shǒu huò yì duān zhuā zhù bìng tí zhe huò guà zhe yí dòng

Word origin

拎 (līn, "to carry by hand") is a phono-semantic character in which 扌 (shǒu, "hand") points to a hand action and 令 (lìng, "command") supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • The verb stays concrete in ordinary use: its object is normally something with a handle or graspable edge, rather than a duty, idea, or other abstract burden.

Other meanings

  • holdverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word