擒 (qín): to capture
擒 (qín) is a Chinese character meaning “to capture.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (structural) and 禽 (structural). It ranks #2945 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 擒 to catch 禽 by hand 扌; 禽 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 把 (bǎ, to hold, measure word).
Definitions
- to capture
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo catch 禽 by hand 扌; 禽 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰扌禽 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 擒 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 欲擒故纵phrase | yù qín gù zòng | In order to capture, one must let loose. |
| 束手就擒phrase | shù shǒu jiù qín | (lit.) to submit to having one's hands tied and being taken prisoner (idiom) |
| 擒获verb | qín huò | to apprehend |
| 生擒 | shēng qín | to capture alive |
| 手到擒来 | shǒu dào qín lái | stretch a hand and grab it (idiom) |
| 擒人节 | qín rén jié | (jocular) Valentine's Day, referring to the rising number of extramarrital affairs being discovered on that day |
| 就擒verb | jiù qín | to be taken prisoner |
| 擒贼擒王phrase | qín zéi qín wáng | (idiom) to defeat the enemy by capturing their leader |
擒 appears in 8 compound words: 38 as the first character, 38 as the last, and 25 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Showing 3 of 4 idioms containing 擒.
Example Sentences
面对摩洛哥队,已经出局的海地队并未束手就擒。
miàn duì mó luò gē duì , yǐ jīng chū jú de hǎi dì duì bìng wèi shù shǒu jiù qín .
Facing Morocco, Haiti—already eliminated—did not go down without a fight.
日常训练融合查拳、摔跤及硬气功,强调闪、展、腾、挪、跌、打、擒、拿等武术技法。
rì cháng xùn liàn róng hé chá quán , shuāi jiāo jí yìng qì gōng , qiáng diào shǎn , zhǎn , téng , nuó , diē , dǎ , qín , ná děng wǔ shù jì fǎ .
Daily training combines Chaquan, wrestling, and hard qigong, emphasizing martial arts techniques such as evasion, extension, leaping, shifting, falling, striking, grappling, and joint locks.
捕猎后,或因劳累出汗,或因入水擒鹅浸湿羽毛,需要在高处晾晒干燥后才能再次捕猎。
bǔ liè hòu , huò yīn láo lèi chū hàn , huò yīn rù shuǐ qín é jìn shī yǔ máo , xū yào zài gāo chǔ liàng shài gān zào hòu cái néng zài cì bǔ liè .
After hunting, whether due to sweating from exertion or because their feathers got wet while entering the water to catch geese, they need to dry off by hanging their feathers in a high place before they can hunt again.
在比赛中,防守方通过拉下进攻球员腰间的两条布制旗带来完成“擒抱”,阻止对方进攻。
zài bǐ sài zhōng , fáng shǒu fāng tōng guò lā xià jìn gōng qiú yuán yāo jiān de liǎng tiáo bù zhì qí dài lái wán chéng qín bào , zǔ zhǐ duì fāng jìn gōng .
During the game, the defensive team “tackles” the offensive player by pulling down the two fabric flags tied around the player’s waist, thereby stopping the opponent’s offense.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 擒 (qín) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 擒 have?
What is the radical of 擒?
What are the components of 擒?
What are common words containing 擒?
Is 擒 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 擒 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.