Chinese word

收拾

Pronunciation

Pinyinshōu shí

Meaning

  • verbtidy up

Example

你先把房间收拾一下。nǐ xiān bǎ fáng jiān shōu shí yí xià

First, tidy up the room.

Illustration for 收拾 (tidy up)

More examples

出门前别忘了把收拾好行李和护照。chū mén qián bié wàng le bǎ shōu shí hǎo xíng lǐ hé hù zhào

Before going out, don't forget to get your luggage and passport ready.

Core concept

Bring scattered things, unfinished matters, or troublesome people under control.

Common phrases

  • 收拾房间shōu shí fáng jiān

    straighten up the room

  • 收拾行李shōu shí xíng lǐ

    get your luggage ready

  • 收拾东西shōu shí dōng xī

    put your things away

Similar words

整理zhéng lǐ: Sort or arrange things so they are neat and easy to use.
打扫dá sǎo: Clean a floor or room by removing dirt with a broom or cloth.
清理qīng lǐ: Remove unwanted things or rubbish to clear a place.
收起shōu qǐ: Gather things together and put them away in a box, cabinet, or other storage place.

Definition in Chinese

把零散或杂乱的东西收集并整理好，也可以指把事情处理妥当；口语中有时用来表示教训或惩罚别人。bǎ líng sàn huò zá luàn de dōng xī shōu jí bìng zhéng lǐ hǎo yě ké yǐ zhǐ bǎ shì qíng chú lǐ tuǒ dàng kóu yǔ zhōng yǒu shí yòng lái biǎo shì jiào xùn huò chéng fá bié rén

Word origin

收 (shōu, "gather") + 拾 (shí, "pick up") forms a verb for gathering scattered things, which extends to putting things or situations in order.

Usage tips

  • A phrase with a person as the object is not about cleaning that person; it can be a colloquial way to say that the person will be reprimanded or punished.

Other meanings

  • deal withverb
  • punishverb

Opposites

  • 弄乱nòng luàndisorderverb
  • 乱放luàn fàngput things in random placesverb

Word lists with this word