(zhuā zhù) - to grab, to catch, to seize; to grasp (an opportunity) in Mandarin
zhuāzhùTraditional: 抓住
Translation
to grab, to catch, to seize; to grasp (an opportunity)
Word origin
抓住 (zhuāzhù) 'to grab hold of' is the resultative compound 抓 (zhuā, 'to grab') plus 住 (zhù, 'firmly, to make fast'). 抓 is 扌(hand) + 爪 (claw); the 住 here marks the grasp as held firm.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 抓 (zhuā, 扌 hand + 爪 claw) + 住 (zhù, resultative 'firmly')
Stroke order
抓
住
Examples
，！
Quick, grab that person!
。
You must seize this opportunity.
。
He tightly held onto her hand.
。
He grabbed my hand.
。
We must seize this good opportunity.
抓住 (zhuā zhù) means to grab and hold, catch, or seize. 抓 means to grab or scratch and 住 here is a result complement meaning to hold firmly or to stop. Together they express the successful act of catching and retaining something: 抓住小偷 (catch a thief), 抓住机会 (seize an opportunity), 抓住要点 (grasp the key point). The 住 complement indicates that the grab is complete and the object is held. Contrast with 抓 alone, which just means to grab.
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 13.