掏 tāo to take out
to take out; to pull out; to clean out; to fish out
How to remember 掏: 扌 hand + 匋 pottery = to take out. The boy sticks his hand into grandma's old pottery jar, hoping to take out one more cookie before dinner.
Component breakdown
掏 = 扌 hand + 匋 pottery
- 扌 hand
- 匋 pottery
The boy sticks his hand into grandma's old pottery jar, hoping to take out one more cookie before dinner.
How it is used
- To reach in and take out / dig out with the hand - 掏钱 (tāo qián) pull out money (to pay), 掏口袋 (tāo kǒudai) reach into a pocket, 掏耳朵 (tāo ěrduo) clean one's ears.
- 掏腰包 (tāo yāobāo) = to foot the bill / pay out of one's own pocket. 掏 implies fishing something out of a cavity/container.