拉纤 (lā qiàn) — to tow (a boat); to act as a go-between (for marriage or business)

Definition

A historical/literary verb with two distinct senses: physically towing a boat from the bank (纤 here = tow rope), and figuratively acting as a matchmaker or middleman between two parties.

verb
to tow (a boat)to act as a go-between (for marriage or business)

Examples

  • 拉纤。
    Chuán fū men zhèng zài hé biān lā qiàn.
    The boatmen are towing by the river.
  • 。
    Tā bāng chuán zhǔ lā le yí cì xiān.
    He helped the boat owner tow once.
  • ，拉纤。
    Zài gǔ dài, méi ren jīng cháng wèi nán nǚ shuāng fāng lā qiàn.
    In ancient times, matchmakers often acted as go-betweens for men and women.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

拉lāpull
纤xiāntow rope

拉 means pull and 纤 means tow rope, together describing towing a boat.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 纖; 纤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
韱
韱xiān纖qiàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 纖 uses 糸 for silk and 韱 for the sound; the simplified 纤 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 纤 →

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