夺

奪

duó

大 + 寸

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

duó (verb) to seize; to take forcibly

duó (verb) to compete for; to strive for

duó (verb) to force one's way through

Etymology

Simplified form of 奪. Depicts a hand (寸) snatching a bird (隹). The top component was originally 衣 (clothes), depicting a person holding a bird in their clothes, but later it was reanalyzed as a phonetic component, written as either 兌 or 大.

About

夺 is the simplified form of the traditional character 奪. The traditional character has a vivid structure: a person (大), a bird (隹), and a hand (寸) at the bottom, depicting a hand snatching a bird from a person. This visual composition conveys the core meaning of taking by force. The character therefore primarily means to seize, rob, deprive, or forcibly compete for something, as in contesting a championship or taking away someone's rights. The modern simplification removes the bird (隹), leaving only the person (大) above the hand (寸). This streamlined form still clearly expresses the idea of forceful appropriation and competitive seizure.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小偷夺走了他的钱包。

Xiǎo tōu duó zǒu le tā de qián bāo.

The thief snatched his wallet.

他们在比赛中争夺冠军。

Tā men zài bǐ sài zhōng zhēng duó guàn jūn.

They are competing for the championship in the competition.

警察从罪犯手中夺回了财物。

Jǐng chá cóng zuì fàn shǒu zhōng duó huí le cái wù.

The police recovered the property from the criminal's hands.

她以惊人的速度夺得了第一名。

Tā yǐ jīng rén de sù dù duó dé le dì yī míng.

She won first place with amazing speed.

如果你们不努力，就会失去夺标的机会。

Rú guǒ nǐ men bù nǔ lì, jiù huì shī qù duó biāo de jī huì.

If you don't work hard, you will lose the chance to win the bid.

他的发言夺走了所有人的注意力。

Tā de fā yán duó zǒu le suǒ yǒu rén de zhù yì lì.

His speech captured everyone's attention.

尽管对手很强，他们还是夺得了比赛的胜利。

Jǐn guǎn duì shǒu hěn qiáng, tā men hái shì duó dé le bǐ sài de shèng lì.

Although the opponents were strong, they still seized victory in the match.

这场革命旨在剥夺统治阶级的特权。

Zhè chǎng gé mìng zhǐ zài bō duó tǒng zhì jiē jí de tè quán.

This revolution aims to deprive the ruling class of their privileges.

Related Characters

Component: 大

Component: 寸

夺