捋

lǚ, luō

寽 + 扌

Frequency#4049

Definitions

lǚ to smooth or arrange sth using one's fingers; to stroke

luō to hold sth long and run one's hand along it

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 寽 represents the sound.

About

The character "捋" is structured with the hand radical (扌) on the left and the component "寽" on the right, which itself combines "爪" representing a claw or hand over "寸" denoting another hand, thereby conveying the concept of grasping or holding. Etymologically, this formation indicates an action performed with the hand, specifically stroking or smoothing a surface. Originally, the character referred to the physical act of running the hand along something, such as stroking a beard or smoothing fabric, but its meaning later broadened to include abstract senses like arranging or sorting out, as well as the action of stripping off, such as removing leaves from a stem. While its graphical composition has stayed consistent, the semantic range has shifted from purely concrete manipulations to include more figurative applications.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他捋了捋胡子。

Tā lǚ le lǚ húzi.

He stroked his beard.

姐姐捋顺了毛线。

Jiějie lǚ shùn le máoxiàn.

Older sister untangled the yarn.

爸爸捋袖子准备干活。

Bàba lǚ xiùzi zhǔnbèi gànhuó.

Dad rolled up his sleeves to get ready for work.

她轻轻捋过我的后背。

Tā qīngqīng lǚ guò wǒ de hòubèi.

She gently stroked my back.

老师捋清了问题的思路。

Lǎoshī lǚ qīng le wèntí de sīlù.

The teacher clarified the thinking on the problem.

我们需要捋一捋会议流程。

Wǒmen xūyào lǚ yī lǚ huìyì liúchéng.

We need to sort out the meeting process.

他仔细捋了一遍事件经过。

Tā zǐxì lǚ le yī biàn shìjiàn jīngguò.

He carefully went through the course of events.

经过梳理，我们捋出了项目重点。

Jīngguò shūlǐ, wǒmen lǚ chū le xiàngmù zhòngdiǎn.

After combing through, we identified the key points of the project.

Related Characters

Component: 寽

Component: 扌