拿人 (ná rén) — (colloquial) to intimidate, to cause difficulties for someone; (colloquial) to grab someone's attention; to arrest a criminal

Definition

拿人 (ná rén) is a colloquial verb that means 'to intimidate / make life hard for someone' (sense 1) and 'to grab attention' (sense 2). Sense 3, 'to arrest,' is a literal reading used mostly in writing.

verb
(colloquial) to intimidate, to cause difficulties for someone(colloquial) to grab someone's attentionto arrest a criminal

Examples

  • ，拿人。
    Tā zhàng zhe zì jǐ shì lǐng dǎo, zǒng xiǎng ná rén.
    He relies on being the boss and always tries to intimidate people.
  • 拿人，。
    Zhè ge jié mù hěn ná rén, guān zhòng dōu kàn dāi le.
    This show really grabs your attention — the audience was mesmerized.
  • 。
    Jǐng chá zài jiē shàng ná le yí gè rén.
    The police arrested someone on the street.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

拿nátake; catch
人rénperson

拿 means take or catch and 人 means person, so 拿人 is to take a person, hence arrest or intimidate.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 拿 pairs 合 with 手, and it is a later alternative form for taking with the hand.

Open 拿 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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