搓

• Pinyin: cuō
• Hanzi breakdown: 搓 = 扌(hand) + 差 (phonetic, rub)

Meaning

To rub; to roll between hands; to scrub. A verb describing the motion of rubbing palms together or rolling something between hands.

Used for rubbing hands for warmth, rolling dough, scrubbing with a washcloth, or the massage technique. Also appears in 搓麻将 (to play mahjong, from the rubbing motion of shuffling tiles).

Examples

1. 他搓着手取暖，嘴里呼出的气凝成白雾。 He rubbed his hands together for warmth, his breath condensing into white mist.
2. 奶奶在案板上熟练地搓着面条。 Grandma skillfully rolled noodles on the cutting board.
3. 去澡堂搓澡是北方人冬天的传统。 Going to the bathhouse to get scrubbed is a winter tradition for northerners.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, bathing, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 搓搓手暖和一下。(Rub your hands together to warm up.)
• 周末去搓一顿？(Wanna grab a meal this weekend? — colloquial usage)

Don't Say

• 我搓了一本书 (搓 is for rubbing/rolling motions — for reading, use 翻 or 看)

Origin & History

From 扌(hand radical) + 差 (phonetic). Depicts the back-and-forth rubbing motion of hands.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal