拉稀 (lā xī) — to have diarrhea; (colloquial) to be exhausted,… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'to have diarrhea' (literally 'to pull thin [stools]'). The extended sense 'wiped out' is a humorous exaggeration of physical exhaustion.

verb

to have diarrhea(colloquial) to be exhaustedwiped out

Examples

，拉稀。
Tā zuó tiān chī huài dù zi, lā xī le sān cì.
He ate something bad yesterday and had diarrhea three times.
，。
Wǒ zuì jìn shēn tǐ bù hǎo, lā le liǎng tiān xī.
I've been unwell recently and have had diarrhea for two days.
，拉稀。
Pǎo wán mǎ lā sōng, tā lèi dé dōu kuài lā xī le.
After finishing the marathon, he was so exhausted he was almost wiped out.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

稀xīloose stool

拉 “pulls” and 稀 “loose stool” give the colloquial sense of having diarrhea.

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

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì拉lā

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

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

禾希稀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

希

Same sound today

稀 has 禾 (grain) beside 希, and 希 gives the character its sound.

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