抻 (chēn) — to pull, to stretch, to draw out

Definition

抻 (chēn) means to pull or stretch something (like dough, rope, or elastic) to make it longer, usually with a steady tug. Often appears in cooking (e.g. 抻面) and with 把-construction.

verb
to pullto stretchto draw out
Easily confused

Examples

  • 抻。
    Tā bǎ shéng zi chēn cháng le.
    He pulled the rope longer.
  • 抻。
    Zuò lā miàn de shí hou yào chēn miàn.
    When making pulled noodles, you need to stretch the dough.
  • 抻，抻。
    Bié chēn le, zài chēn jiù duàn le.
    Don't pull anymore, if you pull more it will break.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn抻
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 抻, the left part 手 is a hand, showing the action is done with the hand, and the right part 申 gives the sound.

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