Definitions

guǎi (verb) to turn (a corner)
guǎi (verb) to kidnap; to swindle
guǎi (noun) cane; walking stick; crutch

Etymology

To take another  by force 

About

The character 拐, with its traditional variant 枴, structurally combines the hand radical (扌) with the component 另, a composition that suggests an action performed by hand. Etymologically, the traditional form 枴, incorporating the wood radical (木), more directly indicates its original nominal meaning as a wooden crutch or walking stick, an object for support. Over time, the character's usage expanded beyond this concrete object to encompass verbal meanings. It came to signify the action of turning or bending, as in navigating a corner, and later developed the more abstract and negative senses of to abduct or to swindle, actions metaphorically involving a forcible turning or diversion.

Example Sentences Hide

请在角处左

Qǐng zài guǎi jiǎo chù zuǒ guǎi.

Please turn left at the corner.

老人需要杖走路。

Lǎorén xūyào guǎizhàng zǒulù.

The old man needs a crutch to walk.

孩子被坏人走了。

Háizi bèi huàirén guǎi zǒu le.

The child was kidnapped by a bad person.

进了小巷子里。

Tā guǎi jìnle xiǎo xiàngzi lǐ.

He turned into the alley.

警方破获了一起卖案件。

Jǐngfāng pòhuòle yīqǐ guǎimài ànjiàn.

The police cracked a kidnapping and trafficking case.

那个骗子试图骗老年人的钱财。

Nàge piànzi shìtú guǎipiàn lǎonián rén de qiáncái.

That swindler tried to cheat elderly people out of their money.

在复杂的路口,司机必须小心弯。

Zài fùzá de lùkǒu, sījī bìxū xiǎoxīn guǎi wān.

At complex intersections, drivers must turn carefully.

由于腿伤,他暂时依赖杖辅助行走。

Yóuyú tuǐ shāng, tā zànshí yīlài guǎizhàng fǔzhù xíngzǒu.

Due to a leg injury, he temporarily relies on a crutch for assistance in walking.