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抽

Mandarin · pinyin chōu

to draw out; to pull out from in between
to remove part of the whole
to inhale (esp. smoke)
(of fabric etc) to shrink
(of certain plants) to sprout; to bud
to whip; to thrash
classifier for sheets (of tissues, wet wipes etc)

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抽: chōu · draw out, pull out; sprout

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · chou1

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1character link8same-tone records

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 12 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cau1

Cantonese word readings for 抽. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character · Etymology 1

to draw out
to take out (object, person, time, etc.)
to draw lots
to put forth; to sprout out
to smoke; to take in
to shrink; to contract
(literary, or in compounds) to grow; to sprout
to whip; to flog; to cane
(xiangqi) to fork with a check
(slang) to become abnormal

character · Etymology 2

(Cantonese) to lift up; to carry
(Cantonese) Classifier for strung, bunched or clustered objects.

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

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