捞

• Pinyin: lāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 捞 = 扌(hand) + 劳 (labor, phonetic) — to fish out/scoop up

Meaning

To fish out; to scoop up; to retrieve from liquid. Also: to gain illicitly.

Physical meaning is scooping something from water. Colloquially used for gaining money or benefits, often with implications of improper means. Also in 捞面 (noodles scooped from boiling water).

Examples

1. 他从水里捞起了一条大鱼。 He scooped a big fish out of the water.
2. 这些年他捞了不少好处。 Over these years, he has gained quite a lot of benefits.
3. 消防员把落水的孩子捞上来了。 The firefighters pulled the child who had fallen into the water out.

Usage Guide

Context: water activities, colloquial for gaining

Tone: varied

Do Say

• 海底捞月是不可能的事。(Scooping the moon from the sea is impossible.)
• 他想趁机捞一把。(He wants to profit from the opportunity.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用捞描述获利。(捞 for gaining money is colloquial with negative connotations — use 获得 or 赚 formally)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character. 扌(hand) indicates action; 劳 (labor, phonetic) provides sound.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal