掖 (yē): to tuck (into a pocket or fold)

Meanings

1 to tuck (into a pocket or fold)
2 to hide
3 to conceal

Characters

掖

yē

to tuck in; to hide

Examples

HSK 3

她把孩子的被子掖好，才离开房间。

Tā bǎ háizi de bèizi yē hǎo, cái líkāi fángjiān.

She tucked the child's blanket in before leaving the room.

HSK 5

他把信掖在口袋里，悄悄走了。

Tā bǎ xìn yē zài kǒudài lǐ, qiāoqiāo zǒu le.

He tucked the letter into his pocket and quietly left.

Tips

usage

Read yē for the everyday 'tuck in' sense, as in 掖被子 (tucking in a blanket). A separate reading yè means 'to support by the arm; to help, foster' and also appears in the place name 张掖 (a city in Gansu).

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand (left-side form of 手)

扌 is the hand radical 手 in left-side form. It marks 掖 as a hand action, grouping it with 抱 (hold), 挟 (clasp under the arm), 扶 (support).

phonetic

夜 yè

night

夜 supplies the reading, shifting from yè to yē. The same phonetic surfaces in 液 (liquid) and 腋 (armpit); the armpit link is especially close, since 腋 marks the body part and 掖 the action of stowing something there.