拎

• Pinyin: līn
• Hanzi breakdown: 拎 = 扌 + 令 (hand + command/order — hand grasping and directing an object downward)

Meaning

To carry by hand with something hanging down; to hold and lift by a handle or strap. The action of gripping and raising something so it hangs freely.

Describes carrying something light to moderately heavy by hand — typically by its handle, strap, or top — so that it hangs downward. Common with bags, baskets, buckets, and bottles. More casual and vivid than 提 (to lift/carry), with a slight sense of ease or lightness. Widely used in everyday spoken Mandarin.

Examples

1. 她拎着一袋新鲜蔬菜从菜市场走回家，边走边与邻居打招呼。 She carried a bag of fresh vegetables home from the market, greeting neighbors as she walked.
2. 他随手拎起背包就往门外走，显然没想到今天会下雨。 He casually grabbed his backpack and headed out the door, clearly not expecting it to rain today.
3. 工人拎着装满工具的铁桶爬上脚手架，开始对外墙进行修缮作业。 A worker carried an iron bucket full of tools up the scaffolding and began repairing the exterior wall.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday life, colloquial speech, physical action

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 他拎着两桶牛奶从超市走出来，手上的提绳已经把手指压出了红印。(He walked out of the supermarket carrying two buckets of milk, the handles already leaving red marks on his fingers.)
• 请把那袋垃圾拎出去扔掉，不要放在厨房里过夜。(Please carry that bag of rubbish out and throw it away — don't leave it in the kitchen overnight.)

Don't Say

• 将'拎'用于承载重型物件的正式描述 — '拎'适合轻便悬挂式携带，搬运沉重物品应用'搬'或'扛'，正式文字中用'提'

Origin & History

拎 (dialectal/vernacular — to carry something hanging from the hand; phonetically related to 提 tí with a regional variant)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal