(rēng) — to throw; to throw away

Definition

扔 (rēng) is the everyday 'to throw' or 'to throw away' — covers both tossing an object (a ball) and discarding trash. 丢 is more about losing or throwing away unwanted things; 摔 is falling or dropping something that breaks.

verb
to throwto throw away

Examples

  • Bú yào rēng zhè xiē shū.
    Don't throw away these books.
  • Tā bǎ qiú rēng dào shuǐ lǐ le.
    She threw the ball into the water.
  • Wǒ bǎ lā jī rēng le.
    I threw away the trash.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
nǎirēng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 手 is a hand, and the right side 乃 is used for the sound.

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.