Chinese word

捡

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiǎn

Meaning

  • verbpick up

Example

我在路边捡到一个钱包。wǒ zài lù biān jiǎn dào yí gè qián bāo

I picked up a wallet by the side of the road.

Illustration for 捡 (pick up)

More examples

志愿者在河边捡垃圾。zhì yuàn zhě zài hé biān jiǎn lā jī

The volunteers picked up litter by the river.

Core concept

A hand lifts a fallen or misplaced object from the ground.

Common phrases

  • 捡垃圾jiǎn lā jī

    pick up litter

  • 捡钱jiǎn qián

    pick up money

  • 捡起jián qǐ

    pick up

Similar words

拾shí: Pick up an object lying on the ground, with a somewhat formal tone.
收shōu: Gather scattered objects into one place.
拿ná: Take hold of an object with the hand and lift or carry it.

Definition in Chinese

用手拾取地上或他人不慎掉落的东西。yòng shǒu shí qǔ dì shàng huò tā rén bú shèn diào luò de dōng xī

Word origin

The simplified character 捡 (jiǎn, "pick up") comes from 撿 (jiǎn, "pick up") and combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand") with 佥 (qiān, "all"), where 扌 points to a hand action and 佥 mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • The verb can describe coming upon a lost item by chance, but it does not state whether the finder keeps it or returns it, so that outcome comes from the surrounding context.

Opposites

Word lists with this word