Learn a Chinese Character - 捞

1. Character Basics

Radical: 扌 (hand radical)

Stroke Count: 10

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: lāo (First tone)

3. Meaning

To fish out; to scoop up; to salvage; to drag up; to pick up; to gain; to profit

4. Common Words

• 打捞 (dǎlāo) - to salvage; to recover; to fish out
• 捞鱼 (lāoyú) - to fish; to catch fish
• 捞取 (lāoqǔ) - to scoop up; to fish out; to gain; to obtain
• 捞起 (lāoqǐ) - to pick up; to lift; to salvage
• 捞钱 (lāoqián) - to make money; to earn money (often with connotation of easy money)
• 捞人 (lāorén) - to bail someone out; to rescue someone
• 海底捞月 (hǎidǐ lāoyuè) - to fish for the moon in the sea (idiom); to attempt the impossible
• 水中捞月 (shuǐzhōng lāoyuè) - to fish for the moon in water (idiom); to chase illusions

5. Grammar & Usage

The character "捞" is primarily used as a verb, often describing actions involving scooping, fishing, or retrieving something from water or another surface. It can also have figurative meanings related to gaining or obtaining something.

Grammar Patterns:

• 打 + 捞: 打捞 (to salvage; to recover)
• 捞 + 鱼: 捞鱼 (to fish; to catch fish)
• 捞 + 取: 捞取 (to scoop up; to gain)
• 捞 + 起: 捞起 (to pick up; to lift)
• 捞 + 钱: 捞钱 (to make money)
• 捞 + 人: 捞人 (to bail someone out)
• 在句子中作动词: 他用网捞鱼 (He catches fish with a net)
• 与成语搭配: 海底捞月 (to attempt the impossible)

6. Cultural Background

The character "捞" has practical origins related to fishing and retrieving objects from water, which has been an important activity in Chinese culture for thousands of years, especially in regions with rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.

Fishing has played a significant role in Chinese economy and food culture, and the character "捞" is often used in this context.

The character is also used in several Chinese idioms, such as "海底捞月" (hǎidǐ lāoyuè) meaning "to fish for the moon in the sea" and "水中捞月" (shuǐzhōng lāoyuè) meaning "to fish for the moon in water," both of which describe attempting the impossible or chasing illusions.

In modern Chinese, the term "捞钱" (lāoqián) has evolved to sometimes carry a negative connotation, referring to making money in an opportunistic or unethical way.

The character's structure, with "扌" (hand radical) on the left and "劳" on the right, indicates that it involves manual work or effort, which aligns with its meaning of physically retrieving something.

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

The character "捞" (lāo) consists of two parts:

• The radical "扌" (hand radical) on the left, indicating that the meaning is related to manual actions
• The component "劳" on the right, which provides the pronunciation

To remember the character, think of it as "using your hand (扌) to do work (劳)" to retrieve something from water or another surface.

Associate the character with common actions like fishing or scooping up water to help with memorization.

Learn the idioms "海底捞月" (to attempt the impossible) and "水中捞月" (to chase illusions) to remember both the character and important Chinese expressions.

Practice writing the character following the stroke order to help remember its structure and stroke count.