拷 (kǎo) - To torture & to beat

拷Tone 3

kǎo ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

拷 · kǎo

To torture;

to beat;

to flog;

to copy or duplicate (as in copying data).

To tortureto beatto flog

Usage highlights

To tortureTo copy filesTo flogPirated copyTo interrogate under tortureTo copy data

Synonyms

  • 打— to beat, to hit
  • 刑— torture, punishment
  • 复制— to copy, to duplicate

Antonyms

  • 放— to release, to free
  • 赦— to pardon, to forgive

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The suspect was tortured for a confession (拷打).
  • I need to copy the files to a USB drive (拷文件).
  • They used flogging as punishment (拷刑).
  • This is a pirated copy (盗拷).

Collocations

  • To torture(拷打)
  • To copy files(拷文件)
  • To flog(拷刑)
  • Pirated copy(盗拷)
  • To interrogate under torture(拷问)
  • To copy data(拷数据)

Idioms

  • To interrogate under torture(拷打逼供)
  • To copy indiscriminately(生搬硬拷)
  • To torture for a confession(严刑拷打)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to physical torture methods in ancient judicial systems.
  • In modern usage, extended to mean copying or duplicating data, especially in computing contexts.
  • The character carries negative connotations due to its association with violence and coercion.

FAQ