扑

• Pinyin: pū
• Hanzi breakdown: 扑 = 扌(hand) + 卜 (divination, phonetic) — rushing forward with hands

Meaning

To pounce; to throw oneself at; to rush toward. A sudden forward movement toward something.

Describes quick, forceful movement toward a target — animals pouncing, people diving to catch something, or rushing to embrace someone. Also used for extinguishing (扑灭 — put out fire) and in 扑空 (to miss one's target, arrive to find someone absent). Has an energetic, sudden quality.

Examples

1. 猫突然扑向了桌上的鱼。 The cat suddenly pounced on the fish on the table.
2. 消防员正在全力扑灭山火。 Firefighters are working hard to extinguish the wildfire.
3. 孩子一看到妈妈就扑进了她的怀里。 As soon as the child saw mom, he threw himself into her arms.

Usage Guide

Context: actions, animals, emotions

Tone: dynamic

Do Say

• 狗一见到主人就扑过去了。(The dog pounced toward its owner as soon as it saw them.)
• 他扑上去接住了那个球。(He dove forward and caught the ball.)

Don't Say

• 不要用'扑'描述缓慢的接近 (Don't use 扑 for slow approaches — it implies sudden, forceful movement)

Origin & History

The character 扑 combines 扌(hand radical) with 卜 (phonetic component), originally depicting the action of striking or rushing forward with the hands.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal