逃(táo) - to flee, to escape, to run away in Mandarin

逃 (táo) is the single character verb for getting away from somewhere you are not meant to leave, or from someone chasing you. It shows up constantly in crime dramas, war films and news reports.

Because it is one syllable it usually picks up a partner or a direction word: 逃跑 (flee), 逃走 (make off), 逃出去 (escape out), 逃到 (flee to). On its own after 不 it forms the very common 逃不了 and 逃不掉, you cannot get away with it.

It also stretches beyond physical running: 逃课 is skiving lessons, 逃税 is dodging tax, 逃避 is avoiding a responsibility or a difficult feeling. English speakers sometimes reach for 走 here, but 走 is neutral leaving. 逃 always implies you are getting out of something.