捏 (niē) — to pinch; to hold between the thumb and fingers; to mold (clay, dough) with the fingers; to fabricate (a story, report); to make up
Definition
Physical action of pinching or molding between the fingers. Unlike 掐 (sharp, nipping off) or 拧 (twisting/wringing), 捏 is gentler and also covers shaping clay/dough and fabricating stories.
verb
to pinchto hold between the thumb and fingersto mold (clay, dough) with the fingersto fabricate (a story, report)to make up
Easily confused
Examples
- 捏。Tā qīng qīng de niē le yí xià wǒ de gē bo.She gently gave my arm a pinch.
- 捏。Hái zi men yòng cǎi ní niē chū gè zhǒng xíng zhuàng.The children used colored clay to mold all kinds of shapes.
- 。Nǐ bú yào niē zào shì shí.Don't fabricate the facts.
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