拧 (níng) — to wring (e.g., a cloth); to pinch and twist (e.g., someone's ear); to screw / to twist (e.g., a screw or lid)
Definition
Cover 拧 (níng) with siblings 扭 (niǔ) and 掐 (qiā): 拧 emphasizes twisting/rotating (a lid, a screw, a wet towel); 掐 (qiā) is the narrower 'pinch between fingers', while 拧 can also mean that pinching-and-twisting action (e.g., an ear).
verb
to wring (e.g., a cloth)to pinch and twist (e.g., someone's ear)to screw / to twist (e.g., a screw or lid)
Easily confused
Examples
- 拧。Qǐng bǎ shī máo jīn níng gān.Please wring out the wet towel.
- 拧。Mā ma qīng qīng níng le yí xià tā de ěr duo.Mom gently pinched his ear.
- 拧。Tā yòng luó sī dāo bǎ luó sī níng jǐn le.He tightened the screw with a screwdriver.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
拧 shows 扌, the hand form, for an action done with the hand, and 宁 for the sound.
Appears in
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