Meanings of 撿
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About 撿
Podcast: 撿
Podcast: 撿
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AI Study Notes for 撿
捡 (jiǎn) vs 拾 (shí) — use 撿 (jiǎn) for informal or casual picking up, while 拾 (shí) is more formal or literary.
Be careful not to confuse 撿 (jiǎn) with 拾 (shí), which also means 'to pick up' but often has a more formal or literary connotation. 撿 is more informal and often used in everyday conversation. It's also important to pay attention to the tone; mispronouncing it as 'jian' (without the third tone) may lead to misunderstandings.
While 撿 is not currently featured in the HSK vocabulary lists, it connects well with other action verbs like 拾 (shí) and 取 (qǔ) which deal with picking or obtaining things. Focus on practicing sentences that incorporate this verb to enhance your vocabulary around gathering actions.
Learners often confuse 撿 with 拾, mistakenly using 撿 in formal contexts. For example, saying '我撿书' (Wǒ jiǎn shū) when they should use '我拾书' (Wǒ shí shū) in a formal setting.
Pronunciation of 撿
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Etymology of 撿
Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 撿.
hand
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 撿
Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 撿.
- 1The meaning half扌 carries the sense.
- 2The sound half僉 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
- 3The giveawayhand
- 4On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 撿? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 撿
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How to say to pick up, to gather, to collect in Chinese
“to pick up, to gather, to collect” in Chinese is撿
The character 撿 (jiǎn) means 'to pick up' or 'to gather.' It is commonly used in contexts where someone is collecting items from the ground or gathering things together, often implying a casual or informal action. This character can also be used in various idiomatic expressions related to collecting or salvaging.
When to use 撿
Be careful not to confuse 撿 (jiǎn) with 拾 (shí), which also means 'to pick up' but often has a more formal or literary connotation. 撿 is more informal and often used in everyday conversation. It's also important to pay attention to the tone; mispronouncing it as 'jian' (without the third tone) may lead to misunderstandings.
撿 or something close to it
捡 (jiǎn) vs 拾 (shí) — use 撿 (jiǎn) for informal or casual picking up, while 拾 (shí) is more formal or literary.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 撿 with 拾, mistakenly using 撿 in formal contexts. For example, saying '我撿书' (Wǒ jiǎn shū) when they should use '我拾书' (Wǒ shí shū) in a formal setting.
Write 撿
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Practice writing 撿 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 撿
Compound Meaning
What does 捡 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 撿
You can say '我在公园里撿到了一枚硬币' (Wǒ zài gōngyuán lǐ jiǎn dào le yī méi yìngbì) meaning 'I picked up a coin in the park.'
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