透

tòu

秀 + 辶

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

tòu (verb) to penetrate; to pass through

tòu (adjective) transparent

tòu (adverb) thoroughly; completely

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 秀 represents the sound.

Semantic: 辶 Phonetic: 秀

About

透 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side radical 辶 (walking, movement) hints at the meaning, while the right-side component 秀 (excellent, elegant) provides the sound. The character means to penetrate, pass through, or be transparent. Originally, it described the physical action of jumping over or passing entirely through an obstacle to reach the other side. This concrete sense later shifted to the movement of light or liquid through permeable materials, and then expanded to abstract contexts, such as thoroughly understanding a complex situation or reaching an extreme degree of a state.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这块玻璃很透明。

Zhè kuài bōli hěn tòumíng.

This piece of glass is very transparent.

阳光透过窗户照进来。

Yángguāng tòu guò chuānghu zhào jìnlai.

Sunlight shines in through the window.

我渐渐摸透了他的脾气。

Wǒ jiànjiàn mō tòu le tā de píqi.

I gradually figured out his temper.

他向媒体透露了新消息。

Tā xiàng méitǐ tòulù le xīn xiāoxi.

He revealed new information to the media.

房间太闷了，打开窗户透透气。

Fángjiān tài mēn le, dǎkāi chuānghu tòu tòu qì.

The room is too stuffy; open the window to get some fresh air.

医生用X光透视了他的胸部。

Yīshēng yòng X guāng tòushì le tā de xiōngbù.

The doctor used an X-ray to examine his chest.

一场大雨过后，他的衬衫湿透了。

Yì chǎng dàyǔ guòhòu, tā de chènshān shī tòu le.

His shirt was soaked through after a heavy rain.

经过分析，他终于看透了问题的本质。

Jīngguò fēnxī, tā zhōngyú kàntòu le wèntí de běnzhì.

After analysis, he finally saw through the essence of the problem.

Related Characters

Component: 秀

Component: 辶

透