透 (tòu): to penetrate; to seep through

Meanings

1 to penetrate; to seep through
2 thoroughly; completely

Characters

透

tòu

to penetrate; thorough; transparent

Examples

雨水透过窗户渗了进来。

Yǔshuǐ tòuguò chuānghù shèn le jìnlái.

Rainwater seeped in through the window.

他把这件事看透了。

Tā bǎ zhè jiàn shì kàntòu le.

He saw through this matter completely.

衣服湿透了。

Yīfu shī tòu le.

The clothes are soaked through.

Tips

grammar

透 is often used as a result complement after verbs: 看透 (see through), 湿透 (soaked through), 想透 (think through thoroughly), 说透 (explain thoroughly).

usage

As a complement, 透 emphasizes completeness or thoroughness — the action has fully penetrated.

Components

radical

辶 chuò

to walk; movement

Walking radical wraps under and around — the standard motion-marker that turns a phonetic into a movement verb. It sits in 进 enter, 退 retreat, 通 pass through, 过 cross. Here motion plus 秀 yields the sense of slipping all the way through: penetrating, soaking through, being thoroughly done.

phonetic

秀 xiù

elegant; refined

Inside-right is 秀 'graceful, refined,' supplying the sound — xiù drifting to tòu via well-attested s/t alternation in this series. 秀 itself shows a grain plant tasseling out, a slender shape that hints at the through-and-through, slipping-past nature of penetration.