取 (qǔ): to take, to get, to choose
取 (qǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to take.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 耳 (structural) and 又 (structural). It ranks #323 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 取 a hand 又 taking the ear 耳 of a fallen enemy. Its radical form 又 (again) appears in many related characters such as 友 (yǒu, friend), 又 (yòu, (once) again), 发 (fā, to send out).
Definitions
- to take
- to get
- to choose
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand 又 taking the ear 耳 of a fallen enemy
Decomposition: ⿰耳又 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 取 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 取
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 取消verb | qǔ xiāo | to cancel | 4 |
| 争取verb | zhēng qǔ | to fight for | 5 |
| 取得verb | qǔ dé | to acquire | 4 |
| 采取verb | cǎi qǔ | to adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action) | 5 |
| 取代verb | qǔ dài | to replace | 6 |
| 提取verb | tí qǔ | to withdraw (money) | 6 |
| 获取verb | huò qǔ | to gain | 4 |
| 录取verb | lù qǔ | to accept an applicant (prospective student, employee etc) who passes an entrance exam | 5 |
| 吸取verb | xī qǔ | to absorb | 6 |
| 听取verb | tīng qǔ | to hear (news) | 6 |
| 夺取verb | duó qǔ | to seize | 6 |
| 收取verb | shōu qǔ | to receive | 6 |
| 领取verb | lǐng qǔ | to receive | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 取决于verb | qǔ jué yú | to hinge on |
| 取笑verb | qǔ xiào | to tease |
| 取出verb | qǔ chū | to take out |
| 取悦verb | qǔ yuè | to try to please |
| 取回verb | qǔ huí | to retrieve |
| 取名verb | qǔ míng | to name |
| 换取verb | huàn qǔ | to obtain (sth) in exchange |
| 取胜verb | qǔ shèng | to score a victory |
| 取向noun | qǔ xiàng | orientation |
| 窃取verb | qiè qǔ | to steal (usu. private information, intellectual property etc) |
| 取证verb | qǔ zhèng | to collect evidence |
| 取暖verb | qǔ nuǎn | to warm oneself (by a fire, heater etc) |
| 无理取闹phrase | wú lǐ qǔ nào | (idiom) to make trouble without reason |
| 读取verb | dú qǔ | (of a computer etc) to read (data) |
| 取而代之 | qǔ ér dài zhī | (idiom) to replace |
取 appears in 103 compound words: 37 as the first character, 62 as the last, and 1 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 取 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (19)
as easy as reaching for it from a bag (idiom); in the bag; (as good as) in one's possession
to make a fuss out of nothing; to throw a tantrum without reason; to be deliberately provocative; vexatious
to make a fuss out of nothing; to throw a tantrum without reason; to be deliberately provocative; vexatious
Showing 12 of 19 idioms containing 取.
Example Sentences
取字在日常生活中使用频率很高。
qǔ zì zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng shǐ yòng pín lǜ hěn gāo .
Character selection is frequently used in daily life.
中AI三巨头遭爆盗取数据! Anthropic控用2.4万假...
zhōng A I sān jù tóu zāo bào dào qǔ shǔ jù ! A n t h r o p i c kòng yòng 2 . 4 wàn jiǎ . . .
The Big Three of China AI were exposed to steal data! Anthropic controls 24,000 fake...
受冬季风暴影响 美国数千架次航班被取消
shòu dōng jì fēng bào yǐng xiǎng měi guó shǔ qiān jià cì háng bān bèi qǔ xiāo
Thousands of flights in the United States were canceled due to the winter storm
涉行贿800万换取贷款申请 反贪会捕前电讯公司董事
shè háng huì 8 0 0 wàn huàn qǔ dài kuǎn shēn qǐng fǎn tān huì bǔ qián diàn xùn gōng sī dǒng shì
Involved in bribery of 8 million yuan in exchange for loan applications The Anti-Corruption Commission arrested former telecommunications company directors
...针对全球 95% 人口感染的 EB 病毒取得关键突破,为移植患者带来新希望
. . . zhēn duì quán qiú 9 5 rén kǒu gǎn rǎn de E B bìng dú qǔ dé guān jiàn tū pò , wéi yí zhí huàn zhě dài lái xīn xī wàng
... A key breakthrough in Epstein-Barr virus, which infects 95% of the world's population, brings new hope to transplant patients
上海开唱遭取消抹黑 滨崎步晒维尼帽反击
shàng hǎi kāi chàng zāo qǔ xiāo mā hēi bīn qí bù shài wéi ní mào fǎn jī
Shanghai's singing was canceled and smeared, and Hamasaki hit back with a vinnie hat
我能在机场领取机票吗？
Wǒ néng zài jīchǎng lǐngqǔ jīpiào ma?
Can I pick my ticket up at the airport?
你能取消我的预订吗？
Nǐ néng qǔxiāo wǒ de yùdìng ma?
Could you cancel my reservation?
这样辉煌的成绩，是如何取得的？
Zhèyàng huīhuáng de chéngjì, shì rúhé qǔdé de?
How can one achieve such brilliant results?
你认为电子书会取代纸质书吗？
Nǐ rènwéi diànzǐshū huì qǔdài zhǐzhìshū ma?
Do you think that e-books will replace paper books?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 取 (qǔ) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 取 (qǔ)?
Is 取 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 取 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.