Definitions

chōu (verb) to draw out; to pull out
chōu (verb) to sprout; to bud
chōu (verb) to whip; to thrash

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 抽 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic hand radical 扌 on the left indicating an action performed with the hands, and the phonetic component 由 on the right providing its pronunciation. Its original meaning centers on the physical action of drawing out or pulling, like extracting a thread from a cocoon or drawing a weapon. This sense later extended to more abstract concepts of extraction, such as drawing a lottery, shrinking, or taking a portion from a larger whole. The character's structure has remained consistent throughout its history, with no separate traditional form required.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

到了一张好牌。

Tā chōu dào le yī zhāng hǎo pái.

He drew a good card.

我每天点时间看书。

Wǒ měi tiān chōu diǎn shíjiān kàn shū.

I set aside some time to read every day.

他习惯饭后一支烟。

Tā xíguàn fàn hòu chōu yī zhī yān.

He is in the habit of smoking a cigarette after a meal.

工厂从河里水灌溉农田。

Gōngchǎng cóng hé lǐ chōu shuǐ guàngài nóngtián.

The factory pumps water from the river to irrigate the farmland.

医生要血进行化验。

Yīshēng yào chōu xiě jìnxíng huàyàn.

The doctor needs to draw blood for testing.

这种布料一洗就容易缩。

Zhè zhǒng bùliào yī xǐ jiù róngyì chōusuō.

This kind of fabric shrinks easily when washed.

她被随机中进行问卷调查。

Tā bèi suíjī chōu zhòng jìnxíng wènjuàn diàochá.

She was randomly selected to participate in the questionnaire survey.

政府决定对这批产品样检查。

Zhèngfǔ juédìng duì zhè pī chǎnpǐn chōuyàng jiǎnchá.

The government decided to conduct a sampling inspection on this batch of products.