Definitions

kǎo to beat; to flog; to examine under torture; (computing) to copy (abbr. for 拷貝|拷贝[kǎo bèi])

Etymology

To question  by hand  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 拷, meaning to torture or interrogate, is structurally composed of the hand radical 扌 alongside the component 考, which serves both phonetic and semantic purposes, with 考 itself historically associated with concepts of beating or examination. Initially reflecting general physical punishment, its usage gradually specialized to denote the act of coercive questioning, often involving violence. In modern contexts, while retaining this primary sense, it has also been adopted into terms like 拷贝, a direct loan from the English "copy", indicating duplication processes, thus demonstrating a semantic extension into technical realms alongside its original violent connotation.

Example Sentences Hide

贝了一个文件。

Wǒ kǎobèi le yī gè wénjiàn.

I copied a file.

请把这部电影贝到光盘。

Qǐng bǎ zhè bù diànyǐng kǎobèi dào guāngpán.

Please copy this movie to the disc.

他经常问嫌疑人。

Tā jīngcháng kǎowèn xiányírén.

He often interrogates suspects.

警察打了那个罪犯。

Jǐngchá kǎodǎ le nàgè zuìfàn.

The police tortured that criminal.

贝文件时要注意病毒。

Kǎobèi wénjiàn shí yào zhùyì bìngdú.

When copying files, be careful of viruses.

历史书问了人类的良知。

Lìshǐ shū kǎowèn le rénlèi de liángzhī.

History books interrogate human conscience.

问真相需要勇气和智慧。

Kǎowèn zhēnxiàng xūyào yǒngqì hé zhìhuì.

Interrogating the truth requires courage and wisdom.

他被打后仍然坚守秘密。

Tā bèi kǎodǎ hòu réngrán jiānshǒu mìmì.

After being tortured, he still kept the secret.