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取 (qǔ) — to get, to take, to fetch; to choose, to select

Definition

取 covers both 'to take/fetch' and 'to choose'. For choosing, it pairs naturally with concrete items (取名字, 取书); for selecting among options, 选 or 选择 is more common.

verb
to getto taketo fetchto chooseto select
Easily confused

Examples

  • 取。
    Tā xiǎng gěi hái zi qǔ yí gè hǎo tīng de míng zì.
    She wants to choose a nice name for her child.
  • 取。
    Wǒ qù tú shū guǎn qǔ jǐ běn shū.
    I'm going to the library to pick up a few books.
  • 取。
    Tā měi yuè qù yín háng qǔ gōng zī.
    He goes to the bank every month to withdraw his salary.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

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

取 pairs 又 (hand) with 耳 (ear), showing a hand taking an ear, as in taking the ear of fallen prey.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 42000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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