托腮

tuōsāi

verb

Meanings

1 to rest one's chin in one's hand
2 to prop up one's cheek (with the hand)

Characters

to hold up; to support

Examples

HSK 5

课上他常常托腮发呆。

Kè shàng tā chángcháng tuōsāi fādāi.

In class he often props his chin in his hand and zones out.

HSK 7-9

她托腮望着窗外，若有所思。

Tā tuōsāi wàng zhe chuāngwài, ruòyǒusuǒsī.

She gazed out the window with her chin resting on her hand, deep in thought.

Tips

culture

A classic pose in Chinese painting and photography for someone deep in thought, daydreaming, or wistful. The closely related 沉思托腮 ('thinking with chin in hand') echoes Rodin's Thinker - Chinese essay writers often invoke the gesture for the same contemplative effect.

memory

托 (to hold up / prop up, like a tray) + 腮 (cheek). Your hand becomes a tray for your face.

Stroke Order

托 tuō

腮 sāi