(shuǎi) - to fling, to swing, to dump in Mandarin
shuǎiTraditional: 甩
Translation
to fling, to swing, to dump
Word origin
甩 is written as 用 (yòng, to use) with the final stroke swung out to the side instead of stopping. The character is effectively a picture of the flick it names, which makes it one of the easier single characters to remember.
- Origin
- modified character
- Root
- 用 (yòng) with the last stroke flicked outwards
Stroke order
甩
Examples
。
He flung his hand out angrily.
。
She flung the book down on the table.
匹尾。
That horse keeps swishing its tail.
，。
He ran fast and left everyone else far behind.
。
I hear she dumped her boyfriend.
甩 (shuǎi) is a sharp throwing or swinging motion of the arm. You 甩 your hair out of your eyes, 甩 a wet cloth, 甩 a door shut behind you. The energy in the word is what distinguishes it from calmly putting something down.
Two extensions get heavy use. Leaving a rival or a pursuer behind is 甩在后面, common in sport and in traffic. And ending a relationship abruptly is 甩: 她把他甩了 means she dumped him, with all the bluntness the English carries.
The trap is confusing it with 扔 (rēng) and 丢 (diū). 扔 is to throw something away from you, 丢 is to lose or discard, and 甩 is about the whip of the movement rather than the destination. Watch the writing too: one extra flick separates 甩 from 用, and getting it wrong turns to fling into to use.
Where this fits
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甩: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "甩" (to fling, to swing, to dump): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 57.