丢掉

丟掉

diūdiào

verb HSK 7-9 #3,778

Meanings

1 to throw away; to discard
2 to lose; to get rid of

Characters

to throw; to lose

to fall; away (result complement)

掉 acts as a result complement meaning 'away/off,' making 丢 more definitive — something is gone for good.

Examples

过期的食物要丢掉。

Guòqī de shíwù yào diūdiào.

Expired food should be thrown away.

丢掉坏习惯不容易。

Diūdiào huài xíguàn bùróng yì.

Getting rid of bad habits isn't easy.

别把这些旧衣服丢掉。

Bié bǎ zhèxiē jiù yīfu diūdiào.

Don't throw away these old clothes.

Tips

usage

丢掉 can be both physical (throw trash away) and abstract (丢掉幻想 = abandon illusions). The abstract use is common in motivational contexts: 丢掉包袱 (diūdiào bāofu, 'drop the baggage') means to let go of mental burdens.

Stroke Order

丢 diū

掉 diào