刷 (shuā) - to brush & to clean with a brush
刷 · shuā
to brush;
to clean with a brush;
to scrub;
to paint;
to daub;
to eliminate;
to swipe (a card);
also used as a classifier for swift actions.
to brushto clean with a brushto scrub
Usage highlights
to brush teethto paint a wallto swipe a cardto brush shoesto wash dishesto refresh a webpage
Usage & contexts
Examples
- I brush my teeth every morning (刷牙).
- He is painting the wall (刷墙).
- She swiped her card to pay (刷卡).
- The video went viral online (视频刷屏了).
Collocations
- to brush teeth(刷牙)
- to paint a wall(刷墙)
- to swipe a card(刷卡)
- to brush shoes(刷鞋)
- to wash dishes(刷碗)
- to refresh a webpage(刷网页)
Idioms
- To wash one's heart and brush one's lungs(洗心刷肺)
- To brush away the old and bring in the new(刷旧迎新)
Cultural background
FAQ- Originally depicted a knife (刂) scraping or cleaning an object, evolving to represent brushing and cleaning actions.
- In modern usage, extended to digital contexts like 'swiping' cards and 'refreshing' web pages.