拎 (līn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

拎

līn[lin1]Tone 1

to lift up; to carry in one's hand

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · to lift up; to carry in one's hand

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (扌) should be narrower and slightly compressed, leaving ample space for the right phonetic component (令) so the character remains balanced without leaning.

1. Meaning

to lift or carry something hanging downward in one's hand

to bag or tote an itemTaiwan pronunciation variant: líng

VerbColloquial#actions#movement#handling objects

Sample Usage

他手里拎着一个塑料袋。
tā shǒu lǐ līn zhe yī gè sù liào dài.
He is carrying a plastic bag in his hand.
这箱子太重，我拎不动。
zhè xiāng zi tài zhòng, wǒ līn bù dòng.
This suitcase is too heavy; I can't lift it.

2. Sound

/[lɪn⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

拎

līnlin1

¯(55)

=līn

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

lin

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with bin

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'een'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to the flat, monotone sound you make when saying 'Aah' during a medical throat exam.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with the retroflex initial lin or lǐng (3rd tone). This is a crisp, high level 1st tone with an alveolar lateral initial.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand flat and steady at eye level, making a straight horizontal gesture from left to right to represent the high level pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand radical (hand actions, touching, gripping)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (indicates an action performed with the hand (lifting or carrying))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 令 (original sound: lìng)

A hand (扌) reaches out to grab an order or command object (令), lifting it up to carry it away.

扌 Hand radical (semantic clue for carrying)
令 Command or order component (phonetic clue for līn)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

29· Phonetic Root: 令 (líng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) representing physical gripping and the phonetic character (令) which provides the pronunciation baseline.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring to the action of pulling or hauling, it evolved specifically to mean carrying something hanging down by hand, such as bags, buckets, or baskets.

Colloquial verbs of handling often retain the hand radical to visually signal physical interaction.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your HAND (扌) to COMMAND (令) your grocery bags to float upward as you LIFT and carry them.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

令

língcommand, order, make, causePhonetic Core (声旁)

冷

lěngcold+ 冫 (ice)

零

língzero+ 雨 (rain)

领

lǐngcollar, neck, to lead, to receive+ 页 (head)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

领(lǐng)

领 uses the head/page radical (页) for collars and leaders, whereas 拎 uses the hand radical (扌) for carrying with your hand.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他手里[___]着一个很重的购物袋。

Clue: līn

Common Learner Pitfall

Using 拿 (ná - to hold or take) when specifically describing carrying a dangling bag or luggage item by its handle or strap, where 拎 is much more idiomatic.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What action does the character 拎 describe, and what is its radical?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to carry in one's hand (līn)' using the hand radical?

拎līnto lift up; to carry in one's hand

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