Chinese word

捧

Pronunciation

Pinyinpěng

Meaning

  • verbhold in both hands

Example

她捧着一束花走进来。tā pěng zhe yí shù huā zǒu jìn lái

She came in holding a bouquet of flowers in both hands.

Illustration for 捧 (hold in both hands)

More examples

她小心地捧着礼物走上台。tā xiǎo xīn dì pěng zhe lǐ wù zǒu shàng tái

She carefully walked onto the stage holding out a gift in both hands.

Core concept

Two hands lift something up and present it with special respect; in speech, the same upward gesture becomes praising someone.

Common phrases

  • 捧着礼物pěng zhe lǐ wù

    hold out a gift in both hands

  • 捧着婴儿pěng zhe yīng ér

    hold a baby in both hands

Similar words

拿ná: Take hold of and carry an object with the hand.
提tí: Lift and carry an object by its handle or another part that can hang down.
端duān: Lift and carry an object steadily with both hands, usually keeping it level.
托tuō: Support an object from underneath with a hand or hands.

Definition in Chinese

用双手把物品托在手心里拿着或递给别人，常带有尊重或礼节的意味，也可引申为夸奖或捧场。yòng shuāng shǒu bǎ wù pǐn tuō zài shǒu xīn lǐ ná zhe huò dì gěi bié rén cháng dài yǒu zūn zhòng huò lǐ jié de yì wèi yě kě yǐn shēn wèi kuā jiǎng huò péng chǎng

Word origin

捧 (pěng, "to hold up with both hands") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand") with 奉 (fèng, "offer respectfully"), linking its physical sense to presenting something as worthy of honor.

Usage tips

  • For English speakers, the figurative sense is easiest to recognize as praise that seems to lift a person onto a pedestal, often suggesting enthusiastic support rather than a neutral compliment.

Other meanings

  • hold outverb
  • praiseverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word