脱 (tuō) — to take off (clothing, shoes, accessories); to shed (skin, feathers, fur); to escape, to get away from (a situation, danger)
Definition
Most common meaning: to take off clothes or shoes (the natural opposite of 穿 chuān). Also used for animals shedding skin or fur, and for escaping a situation.
verb
to take off (clothing, shoes, accessories)to shed (skin, feathers, fur)to escapeto get away from (a situation, danger)
Examples
- 脱。Qǐng bǎ xié tuō xià lái.Please take off your shoes.
- 脱。Shé měi nián dōu huì tuō yí cì pí.Snakes shed their skin once a year.
- 。Tā cóng rén qún zhōng tuō shēn le.He got away from the crowd.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì脫tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.
Appears in
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