chuǎi / chuāi
verb #14,215

Meanings

  1. 1 to estimate
  2. 2 to guess
  3. 3 to size up

Examples

HSK 1
Wǒ chuǎi bù chū tā zài xiǎng shénme.
I can't guess what he is thinking.
HSK 7-9
Tā yīzhí zài chuǎimó lǎobǎn de xīnsi.
She kept trying to figure out the boss's intentions.

Tips

usage
The chuǎi reading is the one in compounds about working out hidden meaning: 揣测 (to conjecture), 揣摩 (to ponder out), 揣度 (to appraise). Switching to chuāi turns it physical: tucking an object into clothing.

Components

radical
shǒu
hand
is the left-side form of (hand). is a verb of doing something with the hand: slipping an object into a pocket, or by extension weighing and guessing intent. The hand radical anchors all of these tactile senses.
phonetic
duān
sprout tip; beginning
supplies the sound, drifted to chuāi. It is the older ancestor of modern (end; tip), drawn as a sprout with roots. Same phonetic family: extremity, to pant, rapids.

Stroke Order

chuǎi