About
The character 拈, denoting the action of picking up or pinching with the fingers, has preserved this primary meaning across its historical usage, directly referencing a specific manual gesture. Its construction integrates the hand radical 扌, which semantically categorizes it within actions performed by the hand, with the component 占, functioning largely as a phonetic element that historically guided pronunciation. This structural combination exemplifies the typical phonetic-compound method of character creation, where meaning and sound clues are merged. While the character's application has remained centered on physical manipulation, often implying delicacy or precision as seen in classical texts describing the handling of small objects, its semantic range has not substantially shifted or broadened over the centuries, maintaining a focused representational role.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
她拈着一片叶子。
他拈起一块糖。
妹妹拈花瓣玩。
爸爸拈起掉落的钥匙。
他用筷子拈起豆子。
拈起这些碎片要小心。
在刺绣时，她拈着细针穿线。
科学家用精密仪器拈起微生物样本。