脱

• Pinyin: tuō
• Hanzi breakdown: 脱 = 月/肉(flesh) + 兑 (exchange, phonetic)

Meaning

To take off (clothing); to shed; to escape from; to come off.

Primary meaning is removing clothing (脱衣服, 脱鞋). Extended to mean shedding (e.g., a snake shedding skin), escaping a situation (脱离危险, to escape danger), or something coming loose naturally (the paint is peeling off). Very high-frequency in everyday Chinese.

Examples

1. 进屋之前请先脱鞋，换上室内拖鞋。 Please take off your shoes before entering and put on the indoor slippers.
2. 天气太热，他把外套脱下来搭在椅子背上。 It was so hot that he took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair.
3. 经过多年努力，她终于脱离了那段令人痛苦的关系。 After many years of effort, she finally escaped from that painful relationship.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, home

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请脱鞋后再进来。(Please take off your shoes before coming in.)
• 他脱下外套，挂在了门后面。(He took off his coat and hung it behind the door.)

Don't Say

• 脱 ≠ 摘 — 脱 is used for clothing and things you remove from your body; 摘 (zhāi) is for removing fruit, badges, hats, or glasses. Don't swap them.

Origin & History

The character 脱 combines 月/肉 (flesh radical) and 兑 (exchange, phonetic), originally depicting skin separating or peeling away from the body — hence 'to shed' or 'to take off.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal