推推 (tuī tuī) — to give a push, to push lightly (reduplicated form indicating brief or tentative action)

Definition

Reduplicated form of 推, signaling a light, brief, or tentative push. The AABB-style reduplication softens the verb, so use it for a casual nudge rather than a strong shove.

verb
to give a pushto push lightly (reduplicated form indicating brief or tentative action)

Examples

  • 推推。
    Qǐng nǐ tuī tuī zhè ge xiāng zi.
    Please give this box a push.
  • 推推，。
    Tā qīng qīng de tuī tuī wǒ, jiào wǒ bié shuō huà.
    He gently pushed me, telling me not to speak.
  • 推推，。
    Nǐ tuī tuī mén, kàn yǒu méi yǒu rén.
    Give the door a push and see if anyone is there.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

推tuīpush
推tuīpush

“推” is to push, and the doubled “推” suggests a light or brief push.

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 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.