verb #33,533

Meanings

  1. 1 to capture; to take prisoner
  2. 2 prisoner of war; captive (noun)
  3. 3 (archaic, derogatory) northern barbarian

Examples

Díjūn bèi wǒfāng lǔhuò.
The enemy troops were captured by our side.
Tā de xiàoróng fúlǔ le suǒyǒu rén de xīn.
Her smile captured everyone's hearts.

Tips

usage
Rarely used solo in modern Chinese. The most common compound is 俘虏 (fúlǔ, 'prisoner of war' / 'to capture'), which carries both literal and figurative senses (capturing hearts, capturing attention). The bare still appears in classical/literary contexts and historical writing.
history
In imperial-era texts, was a slur applied by Han Chinese to northern peoples (e.g. 'the Hu barbarians'). Its bottom radical 'strength' atop historically depicted a captive bound by rope.

Stroke Order