Chinese word

搓

Pronunciation

Pinyincuō

Meaning

  • verbrub

Example

他在搓手取暖。tā zài cuō shǒu qú nuǎn

He rubs his hands together to keep warm.

Illustration for 搓 (rub)

More examples

他每次洗澡都会请人搓背。tā měi cì xí zǎo dū huì qǐng rén cuō bèi

Whenever he takes a bath, he asks someone to scrub his back.

Core concept

Repeated hand movement presses and slides against something, creating warmth, smoothing it, or making it easier to shape.

Common phrases

  • 搓澡cuō zǎo

    scrub the body

  • 搓背cuō bèi

    scrub the back

Similar words

擦cā: Rubbing an object with a hand or cloth removes dirt or water from its surface.
揉róu: Pressing and rubbing with the hands repeatedly makes something softer or improves circulation.

Definition in Chinese

用手来回摩擦物体表面，常用于取暖、擦拭或将物体揉匀使其改变形状或产热。yòng shǒu lái huí mó cā wù tǐ biǎo miàn cháng yòng yú qú nuǎn cā shì huò jiāng wù tǐ róu yún shǐ qí gǎi biàn xíng zhuàng huò chǎn rè

Word origin

搓 (cuō, "rub") is a phonetic-semantic character whose hand radical 扌 (shǒu, "hand") marks a manual action and whose other component 差 (chā, "difference") supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • The object can be omitted when the context is clear, making this verb natural in short spoken descriptions of warming hands or handling soft material.

Other meanings

  • massageverb
  • kneadverb

Related words

  • 搓澡cuō zǎoscrub oneself while bathingverb
  • 搓洗cuō xǐscrub and washverb

Word lists with this word