挽回 (wǎn huí) — to retrieve (a situation, face, loss), to salva… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

挽回 is to turn back a situation that is already going wrong — losses, face, a losing game. 回收 reclaims physical things/materials; 打捞 is specifically fishing objects out of water.

verb

to retrieve (a situation, face, loss)to salvageto redeem

Examples

挽回。
Tā xiǎng yào wǎn huí zì jǐ de miàn zi.
He wants to save his own face.
挽回。
Zhè cì sǔn shī hěn nán wǎn huí le.
This loss is very hard to recover from.
挽回？
Wǒ men hái néng wǎn huí zhè chǎng bǐ sài de bài jú ma?
Can we still turn this losing game around?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

Pulling something 挽 back with 回 conveys retrieving a lost situation.

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.

扌免挽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

免

免miǎn挽wǎn

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

In 挽, the left part 扌 is a hand symbol, showing an action done with the hand. The right part 免 supplies the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6

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