Chinese word

搂

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǒu

Meaning

  • verbhug

Example

妈妈用双臂搂着婴儿入睡。mā mā yòng shuāng bì lǒu zhe yīng ér rù shuì

Mom hugged the baby with both arms and fell asleep.

Illustration for 搂 (hug)

More examples

他把小猫搂在怀里，温柔地抚摸。tā bǎ xiǎo māo lǒu zài huái lǐ wēn róu dì fǔ mō

He held the kitten close in his arms and gently stroked it.

Core concept

Draw someone into the space between the arms and keep the body close.

Common phrases

  • 搂住lǒu zhù

    hug close

  • 搂在怀里lǒu zài huái lǐ

    hold close in one's arms

Similar words

抱bào: Holding a person or object in the arms to carry or support it.
拥抱yōng bào: Embracing someone with both arms to show affection or strong feeling.
抱紧bào jǐn: Holding a person or object tightly so it stays firmly in place.

Definition in Chinese

用胳膊环绕并紧抱，使对方靠近身体并保持贴近。yòng gē bó huán rào bìng jǐn bào shǐ duì fāng kào jìn shēn tǐ bìng bǎo chí tiē jìn

Word origin

The character 搂 (lǒu, "hug") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand"), which signals an action, with 娄 (lóu, "phonetic component"), which helps indicate its pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 搂 (lǒu, "hug") often combines with 着 (zhe, "ongoing state") to present the close hold as continuing rather than as a single completed action.

Other meanings

  • pull closeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 搂住lǒu zhùhug tightlyverb
  • 搂抱lǒu bàoembraceverb

Word lists with this word