DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

抓撓

简抓挠 · 繁抓撓

Mandarin · pinyin zhuā nao

to scratch
to mess about with
to quarrel
to scramble to do
sb or sth that one can rely on

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

抓: zhuā · scratch; clutch, seize, grab
撓: Look up this written character
挠: náo · scratch; disturb, bother; submit

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–5 · zhua1 nao5

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

2character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

抓撓 · find source passages ↗ · 抓挠 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to clutch at

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack