偷空 (tōu kōng) — to snatch a moment (to do something else); to take a brief break from work

Definition

偷空 (tōukòng) means to snatch a brief moment from a busy schedule to do something else. Often reduplicated as 偷空儿 / 偷个空, and pairs naturally with 抽空 and 挤空 (very close synonyms).

verb
to snatch a moment (to do something else)to take a brief break from work

Examples

  • ，偷空。
    Wǒ měi tiān dōu hěn máng, zhǐ néng wǎn shàng tōu kōng kàn kàn shū.
    I'm busy every day; I can only snatch a moment at night to read.
  • ，。
    Tā gōng zuò tài máng le, lián tōu gè kōng xiū xi de shí jiān dōu méi yǒu.
    He's too busy at work; he doesn't even have a moment to rest.
  • 偷空。
    Tā chèn hái zi shuì jiào de shí hou tōu kōng zuò jiā wù.
    She snatched a moment to do housework while the child was sleeping.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

偷tōusnatch/steal
空kōngempty/free time

偷 conveys snatching, and 空 refers to free or empty time; together it means grabbing a spare moment.

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
俞
俞yú偷tōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻, a standing person, points to the idea of someone doing the act, while the right part 俞 gives the character its sound.

Open 偷 →

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

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