Chinese word

掏

Pronunciation

Pinyintāo

Meaning

  • verbtake out

Example

我从包里掏出钥匙。wǒ cóng bāo lǐ tāo chū yào shi

I take the keys out of my bag.

Illustration for 掏 (take out)

More examples

昨天下班时，地铁里有人趁拥挤把他的手机掏走了。zuó tiān xià bān shí dì tiě lǐ yǒu rén chèn yōng jǐ bǎ tā de shǒu jī tāo zǒu le

Yesterday after work, someone took advantage of the crowded subway to pickpocket him and take his phone.

Core concept

A hand searches inside a container or pocket, then draws an item into view, openly or secretly.

Common phrases

  • 掏出证件tāo chū zhèng jiàn

    take out an ID card

  • 掏走钱包tāo zǒu qián bāo

    pickpocket a wallet

Similar words

拿ná: Using the hand to take hold of an object.
取qǔ: Obtaining something or gaining possession of it.
偷tōu: Secretly taking property that belongs to someone else.

Definition in Chinese

用手把物品从容器、口袋等处取出。yòng shóu bǎ wù pǐn cóng róng qì kǒu dài děng chù qǔ chū

Word origin

The character 掏 (tāo, "take out") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand"), which marks a hand action, with 匋 (táo, "pottery"), which mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • Because the verb focuses on reaching into a confined place, it is used for pockets, bags, and drawers rather than for an object already in plain view.

Other meanings

  • feel aroundverb
  • dig outverb
  • pickpocketverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 掏走tāo zǒutake awayverb
  • 掏腰包tāo yāo bāopay out of one's own pocketverb

Word lists with this word