捎 (shāo) · to bring along, to take (something to someone)

Meanings

1 to bring along
2 to take (something to someone)
3 to carry (as a favor)

Characters

捎

shāo

to bring along; to take (something for someone)

Examples

HSK 2

你回去的时候帮我捎个东西。

Nǐ huíqù de shíhou bāng wǒ shāo gè dōngxi.

When you go back, please take something along for me.

HSK 2

请帮我捎个话给他。

Qǐng bāng wǒ shāo gè huà gěi tā.

Please pass a message to him for me.

Tips

usage

捎 implies carrying something as a casual favor while already going somewhere. 捎话 (pass a message) and 捎带 (take along) are common collocations.

mistakes

Don't confuse 捎 (shāo, to bring along) with 稍 (shāo, slightly) - same sound, different characters and meanings.

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand (radical form of 手)

Hand radical on the left - 捎 means to take something along for someone, to bring a parcel or message by hand on your way. The hand marker pins it to the manual-conveyance family with 拿 carry, 提 lift, 带 bring. Originally also meant to brush against something in passing - still a hand-led action.

phonetic

肖 xiào

resemble

Right side 肖 supplies the sound - xiào shifting to shāo via the regular x/sh sibilant alternation. The 'resemble' meaning of 肖 has no role here. Same phonetic anchors a small family: 稍 slightly, 削 to peel, 哨 whistle, 梢 tree-tip - most reading shāo or xiāo, showing the cluster of related sounds 肖 generates.