Meaning of 抢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to fight over
- to rush
- to scramble
- to grab
- to rob
- to snatch
- (literary) to knock against (esp. to knock one's head on the ground in grief or rage)
- opposite in direction; contrary
How to use 抢
抢 (qiǎng) means to grab or snatch, and it also means to rush to do something first, as in 抢着付钱 (fighting to pay the bill). It appears in common words like 抢救 (qiǎngjiù, to rescue) and 抢劫 (qiǎngjié, to rob). Example: 他抢走了我的手机。(Tā qiǎngzǒu le wǒ de shǒujī.) He snatched my phone.
抢 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and 仓 (cāng, granary) on the right. Picture a hand reaching into a granary to grab grain before anyone else can.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 抢 with 枪 (qiāng, gun), which has the wood radical 木 instead of the hand radical 扌. Keep the third tone for the everyday meaning; qiāng is only a rare literary reading.
抢 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.
抢 qiǎng · to fight over · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 抢.
| 抢救 | qiǎngjiù | to rescue |
| 抢劫 | qiǎngjié | to rob; looting |
| 抢夺 | qiǎngduó | to plunder; to pillage |
| 抢眼 | qiǎngyǎn | eye-catching |
| 抢走 | qiǎngzǒu | to snatch (esp related to a robbery) |
| 抢劫案 | qiǎngjié'àn | robbery; holdup |
| 抢先 | qiǎngxiān | to rush (to do sth urgent); to try to be the first |
| 抢手 | qiǎngshǒu | (of goods) popular; in great demand |
| 抢占 | qiǎngzhàn | to seize (the strategic high ground) |
Questions about 抢
What does 抢 mean?
抢 (qiǎng) means "to fight over; to rush" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 抢?
抢 is made of 1 character: 抢 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 抢 an HSK word?
Yes. 抢 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 抢 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 抢 is written 搶.
How do you say 'grab a seat' or 'compete to do something first' with 抢?
Put 抢 before the action or object, as in 抢座位 (qiǎng zuòwèi, to grab a seat) or 抢着回答 (qiǎngzhe huídá, to rush to answer). The pattern 抢着 + verb means everyone is trying to be first.
What is the difference between 抢 and 偷?
抢 (qiǎng) means taking something openly or by force, like a robbery or snatching. 偷 (tōu) means stealing secretly without the owner noticing.