掴 (guāi) - To slap & to strike with the palm of the hand

掴Tone 1

guāi ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

掴 · guāi

To slap;

to strike with the palm of the hand;

to box someone's ears.

To slapto strike with the palm of the handto box someone's ears.

Usage highlights

To slap the faceTo box the earsA slapSlappedTo slap heavilySlapping sound

Synonyms

  • 打— to hit; to strike
  • 扇— to fan; to slap
  • 拍— to pat; to clap

Antonyms

  • 抚— to caress; to stroke gently
  • 摸— to touch softly; to feel

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He slapped him across the face (掴了他一耳光).
  • The angry mother boxed her son's ears (掴了儿子一记耳光).
  • A sharp slap (一记响亮的掴).

Collocations

  • To slap the face(掴脸)
  • To box the ears(掴耳光)
  • A slap(一掴)
  • Slapped(被掴)
  • To slap heavily(重掴)
  • Slapping sound(掴声)

Idioms

  • To slap the face and box the ears(掴脸掴耳)
  • Eastern slap, western box(东掴西掴)
  • Slap left and right(左右开掴)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character depicts the action of striking with an open hand, combining the hand radical (扌) with the phonetic component 国.
  • In traditional Chinese culture, slapping someone's face is considered a serious insult and loss of face.
  • This character appears more frequently in colloquial and descriptive contexts rather than formal writing.

FAQ