推拿 (tuī ná) — Chinese therapeutic massage (a manual therapy combining acupressure and stretching)

Definition

推拿 is traditional Chinese therapeutic massage based on acupoints (穴位) and meridians (经络), used for medical and wellness purposes — not a casual spa massage.

Chinese therapeutic massage (a manual therapy combining acupressure and stretching)

Examples

  • 推拿，。
    Wǒ měi zhōu dōu qù zuò yí cì tuī ná, yāo shū fu duō le.
    I go for a massage every week, and my lower back feels much better.
  • 推拿，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī fu de tuī ná jì shù fēi cháng hǎo, hěn duō rén zhuān mén lái zhǎo tā.
    This master's massage technique is excellent; many people come specifically to him.
  • 推拿。
    Xué xí tuī ná xū yào liǎo jiě rén tǐ de xué wèi hé jīng luò.
    Learning massage requires understanding the body's acupoints and meridians.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

推tuīpush
拿nágrasp

推 means push and 拿 means grasp, naming a massage made of pushing and grasping.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
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.

Open 推 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 拿 pairs 合 with 手, and it is a later alternative form for taking with the hand.

Open 拿 →

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