Meaning of 抄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to make a copy
- to plagiarize
- to search and seize
- to raid
- to grab
- to go off with
- to take a shortcut
- to make a turning move
How to use 抄
抄 most often means to copy by hand or to copy someone else's work, and it shows up in school life all the time. It also appears in 抄近路 (chāojìnlù) for taking a shortcut. Example: 别抄同学的作业。(Bié chāo tóngxué de zuòyè.) Don't copy your classmate's homework.
抄 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and 少 (shǎo, few) on the right. Picture a hand quickly grabbing a few lines from someone else's page to copy them.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 抄 (chāo) with 炒 (chǎo, to stir-fry), which has the fire radical 火 and a third tone. Remember that copying uses your hand 扌, and cooking uses fire 火.
抄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
抄 chāo · to make a copy · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 抄.
Questions about 抄
What does 抄 mean?
抄 (chāo) means "to make a copy; to plagiarize" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 抄?
抄 is made of 1 character: 抄 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 抄 an HSK word?
Yes. 抄 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 抄 and 抄袭?
抄 is the everyday verb for copying, like copying notes or homework. 抄袭 (chāoxí) is more formal and usually means plagiarism, such as copying an article or design and presenting it as your own.
Can 抄 mean to raid or confiscate?
Yes. In words like 抄家 (chāojiā), it means to search a home and seize property, often by authorities. This sense is less common in daily conversation but appears in history and news.