HSK · Level 91
45 words
Chinese word
捅
Pronunciation
Pinyintǒng
Meaning
- verbstab
Example
他被人用刀捅了。tā bèi rén yòng dāo tǒng le
He was stabbed with a knife.
More examples
他一时冲动，用刀子捅伤了对方。tā yì shí chōng dòng yòng dāo zi tǒng shāng le duì fāng
He impulsively stabbed and injured the other person with a knife.
Core concept
A hand or tool drives into one small point, ranging from a quick poke to a forceful stab.
Common phrases
捅人tǒng rén
stab someone
被人捅bèi rén tǒng
be stabbed by someone
把...捅了bǎ tǒng le
stab ___
Similar words
刺cì: Pierces through a surface with a pointed object.
戳chuō: Pokes lightly with a fingertip or thin object.
插chā: Inserts an object into or through another thing.
Definition in Chinese
用手指、棍棒或刀具等对准一点向内刺入或戳动，包含从轻微一捅到造成伤害的刺入动作，语感偏口语。yòng shóu zhǐ gùn bàng huò dāo jù děng duì zhǔn yì diǎn xiàng nèi cì rù huò chuō dòng bāo hán cóng qīng wēi yì tǒng dào zào chéng shāng hài de cì rù dòng zuò yú gǎn piān kóu yǔ
Word origin
The character 捅 (tǒng, "poke or stab") uses the hand radical to mark a manual action and another component for its sound, fitting its sense of a directed inward thrust.
Usage tips
- English speakers may associate a stabbing verb only with a knife, but this Chinese verb also covers a brief poke with a finger or stick; the object and situation set the force.