cau1抽
Jyutpingcau1
Yalechāu
Definition
To pull out; to draw; to extract a part from a whole, such as drawing lots or raffle tickets.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Beyond the literal action of pulling something out, this verb is the standard term for selecting items from a group, such as picking a name from a hat or choosing a sample. It is also frequently used in the context of muscle spasms, where a body part is described as having "pulled" or cramped. When referring to extracting money from an account, it is often used in the form of 抽錢.
Examples
He won the first prize in the lucky draw this time!
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 拎, which simply means to take or hold something. 抽 specifically implies selecting or extracting a subset from a larger collection or container.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
