Chinese word

透

Pronunciation

Pinyintòu

Meaning

  • verbshine through

Example

阳光从窗户透进来，照亮了房间。yáng guāng cóng chuāng hù tòu jìn lái zhào liàng le fáng jiān

Sunlight shines through the window and lights up the room.

Illustration for 透 (shine through)

More examples

厨房的灯光从门缝透出来，走廊一下亮了。chú fáng de dēng guāng cóng mén fèng tòu chū lái zǒu láng yí xià liàng le

Light from the kitchen shines through the crack in the door, suddenly lighting up the hallway.

Core concept

Something gets past a boundary, so what moves through or lies within becomes noticeable on the other side.

Common phrases

  • 阳光透进来yáng guāng tòu jìn lái

    sunlight streams in

  • 透过窗户tòu guò chuāng hù

    shine through the window

  • 看透问题kàn tòu wèn tí

    see through a problem

Similar words

透过tòu guò: Passes through an object or space and reaches the far side.
穿过chuān guò: Moves through a narrow place or between people to continue onward.
渗透shèn tòu: Liquid or gas slowly seeps through tiny gaps and spreads.
穿透chuān tòu: Breaks through an object and passes into or through its interior.

Definition in Chinese

使某物穿过阻碍到达另一侧，或使内部的特征或信息显现出来。shǐ mǒu wù chuān guò zǔ ài dào dá lìng yí cè huò shǐ nèi bù de tè zhēng huò xìn xī xiǎn xiàn chū lái

Word origin

透 (tòu, "penetrate") is a phono-semantic character built from 辶 (chuò, "movement") + 秀 (xiù, "fine"), with 辶 suggesting passage and 秀 supplying the sound.

Usage tips

  • English often changes verbs according to whether the subject is light, air, color, or information, while everyday Chinese can use this one verb across these contexts.

Other meanings

  • penetrateverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word