推 (tuī) — to push; to refuse; to turn down; to nominate; to elect
Definition
推 covers three distinct senses: physically push something, turn down an offer, or nominate/elect someone. For 'refuse', it pairs with 掉 (推掉 an invitation) and is more casual than 拒绝; for 'push (physically)', 按 is usually a quick press with a finger.
verb
to pushto refuseto turn downto nominateto elect
Examples
- 推。Tā yòng lì tuī le yí xià mén.He pushed the door hard.
- 推。Tā tuī diào le duì fāng de yāo qǐng.She turned down the other party's invitation.
- 。Dà jiā tuī xuǎn tā dāng dài biǎo.Everyone nominated him to be the representative.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
隹
隹zhuī推tuī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The left side 扌 is a hand, and the right side 隹 gives the sound; the character shows pushing with the hand.
Appears in
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