抽chōu

抽

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

抽 (chōu) in simplified Chinese is written with the hand radical 扌 on the left and the phonetic component 由 on the right, a combination that has stayed unchanged from its traditional form. The character originally depicted pulling or extracting something with a hand, and today it means to pull out, to draw, or to sprout, as in 抽奖 (chōu jiǎng, to draw a prize) or 抽芽 (chōu yá, to sprout). Its visual structure clearly shows a hand reaching to pull something, a meaning that has endured since the earliest script forms.

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Shuowen

抽 (chōu). The hand radical 扌 on the left represents the hand performing the action, while the component 由 on the right originally depicted something emerging or passing through an opening. Together, the character depicts a hand pulling something out, giving the core meaning of drawing forth or extracting. This pictographic construction captures the physical motion of withdrawing or pulling from within.

Pinyin

chōu· HSK 1

抽chōu

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin