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掏

tāo
verb HSK 6 #5,701

Meanings

  1. 1 to fish out (from a pocket or hole)
  2. 2 to pull out; to dig out
  3. 3 to pay (colloquial)

Examples

他从口袋里掏出手机。
Tā cóng kǒudài lǐ tāo chū shǒujī.
He fished his phone out of his pocket.
掏钱买单。
Tāo qián mǎidān.
Pay the bill.
小孩掏鸟窝。
Xiǎohái tāo niǎo wō.
The kid raided a bird's nest.
他掏出一张名片递给我。
Tā tāo chū yī zhāng míngpiàn dì gěi wǒ.
He pulled out a business card and handed it to me.

Tips

usage
掏 implies reaching into a confined space (pocket, bag, hole) to pull something out. 掏钱 (tāo qián) = to pay/fork out money (colloquial). 掏腰包 (tāo yāobāo) = to pay out of one's own pocket.
memory
Hand radical 扌 + 匋 (pottery/kiln) — reaching your hand into a vessel to pull something out.

Stroke Order

掏 tāo