Definitions
to extract; to pluck; to seize
Etymology phono-semantic
hand
Semantic:
手
About
搴 (qiān) is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 手 (shǒu, hand) at the bottom provides the semantic category of manual action, while the upper element is phonetic, dictating the pronunciation. It means to pull, pluck, hoist, or draw something upward, like raising a flag, hoisting a sail, or drawing back a curtain. This precise upward pulling action has led to its predominant use in formal, literary, and poetic contexts throughout Chinese history, where it describes elegant, significant physical movements rather than everyday mechanical tasks.
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