拈 (niān) - to pick up with the fingers & to take

拈Tone 1

niān ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 扌

楠念

拈 · niān

to pick up with the fingers;

to take;

to pinch;

to handle

to pick up with the fingersto taketo pinch

Usage highlights

pick flowerspick up somethingpick at randompick up a needlepick up incensepick up coins

Synonyms

  • 捏— pinch, knead
  • 拿— take, hold
  • 取— take, get

Antonyms

  • 放— release, let go
  • 弃— abandon, discard

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She picked up a flower with her fingers (拈花).
  • He picked up a chess piece thoughtfully (拈起棋子).
  • The monk demonstrated the flower-picking gesture (拈花示众).

Collocations

  • pick flowers(拈花)
  • pick up something(拈起)
  • pick at random(信手拈来)
  • pick up a needle(拈针)
  • pick up incense(拈香)
  • pick up coins(拈钱)

Idioms

  • Pick up whatever comes handy(信手拈来)
  • Pick flowers and惹 grass (拈花惹草) - philandering
  • Pick up flowers and smile (拈花微笑) - subtle transmission of wisdom

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chan (Zen) Buddhism, 'flower-picking smile' (拈花微笑) symbolizes direct mind-to-mind transmission beyond words.
  • The character often appears in contexts requiring delicate finger work, such as embroidery, tea ceremony, or playing musical instruments.
  • In Chinese chess and Go, 拈 describes the elegant gesture of picking up and placing pieces.

FAQ