# Pronunciation: 拽/跩



## yuechu

Hello,

I often come across the character "拽" when reading Chinese and noticed that it has 4 pronunciations: ye4, zhuai1, zhuai3 and zhuai4, which all seem to be verbs. Is there a way of knowing which pronunciation to use when it is a single-character verb? (are some of the pronunciations archaic/rare/literary?)

Here is the context in which I saw it today, in a video comment: "男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种 走路拽拽的". Is this "zhuai4 zhuai4"?
Thanks/谢谢！​


----------



## YangMuye

zhuai4 is the typical pronunciation.
ye4 is usually written as 曳, which is a very archaic word.​


> Here is the context in which I saw it today, in a video comment: "男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种 走路拽拽的". Is this "zhuai4 zhuai4"?


The 拽 seems to be zhuai3, as in 拽文, originally written as “转文”.


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, Yang Muye!

Oh and by the way, I'm also curious to know what the meaning of "拽/zhuai3" is in this sentence. It means "to pull", right? I can't seem to get it to make sense here though. So this person is saying "The male guest (on the TV show) unexpectedly likes that type--one who walks... [pulling]". Would anyone know of the meaning here?


----------



## YangMuye

It's zhuai3.
When used as a verb, it usually means “to show off” or “to flaunt”.

拽拽的 is used as an adjective(in fact an adverb here). I don't know how to translate it.
It means that the way male guest walks looks as if he is flaunting.

I found the sentence on youtube.


> 男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种 走路拽拽的 说话 神态一副 高中班里面 团支书， 学校广播员 根正苗红 自认精英的女生。。。额。。。口味还真重。。。​


It means 趾高气扬 here.


----------



## lakesno

lol. good question. here it should be " zhuai3 "   “拽拽的”  kinda means "arrogantly" here.    not exactly but kinda. YangMuye is right I think. 
“拽拽的” is not used as formal Chinese writting or speaking.


----------



## yuechu

I recently read this character in the following context:

“权头自言自语 ‘我说呢，我闺女那么聪明一人。。。’还没说完就被辛燕晓使劲儿*拽*了一下袖子给打住了。”
[from the novel 北京青年]

Does anyone know what the pronunciation/meaning is here? Does it mean "to pull" at his sleeve?
Thanks!


----------



## Lucevan le stelle

baosheng said:


> “权头自言自语 ‘我说呢，我闺女那么聪明一人。。。’还没说完就被辛燕晓使劲儿*拽*了一下袖子给打住了。”
> [from the novel 北京青年]


Here 拽 does mean "to pull", and it's pronounced zhuai4.


----------



## yuechu

It looks like Perapera dictionary (one of the dictionaries I use) needs to update their definition since it doesn't list the pronunciation zhuai4! (but has ye4, zhuai1 and zhuai3)

Thanks for your help, Lucevan le stelle!


----------



## SuperXW

I can hardly think of any dictionary not to list the pronunciation of zhuai4. Bad dictionary. 
To me, zhuai3 is the most modern and informal dialectical sound, which may not be listed in dictionary.


----------



## Skatinginbc

baosheng said:


> Here is the context in which I saw it today, in a video comment: "男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种 走路拽拽的". Is this "zhuai4 zhuai4"?


To me, 走路拽拽的 (zhuai4) means 走路拖拖拉拉, 費力, 不靈活的樣子.
I think it should have been 走路跩跩的 (跩 zhuai3 走路搖晃不穩, 一搖一擺, 得意忘形的樣子).  男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种走路跩跩的 = 男嘉宾竟然喜欢这种走路屁股搖來搖去的女子


----------



## SuperXW

After checking the dictionary, I think Skatinginbc is right as 跩 is assigned the meaning he mentioned.
As the word is quite colloquial, many of us are not sure which character we should use.
I don't think 走路zhuai4zhuai4的 exist in Beijing dialect.


----------



## allan8964

拽 (zhuai3) is very popular in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. People there say "拽死了" meaning 得意忘形, 神气活现 or 拽什么? meaning 有什么了不起!

allan


----------



## Skatinginbc

allan8964 said:


> 拽 (zhuai3) is very popular in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. People there say "拽死了" meaning 得意忘形, 神气活现 or 拽什么? meaning 有什么了不起!


It appears to me that in Mainland China 拽 is commonly used for zhuai3 meaning "得意忘形, 神气活现".  I fail to see an etymological justification for it.  Can you please shed some light on it?  

In Taiwan, 跩 (zhuai3, meaning "招搖, 得意忘形, 神氣活現") is a common expression.  跩什麼跩 means 有什麼了不起, 神氣巴巴的幹啥.  跩 depicts the way a goose walks (waddle, 鴨跩鵝行), that is, walking with a swaying motion (大搖大擺).  Geese waddling across the road is 招搖過街.  跩 (類篇》超踰也) also has the connotation of 過分, 矯揉造作, 裝模作樣.

拽 means 拉扯 (e.g., 繃繃拽拽 "拉拉扯扯，勉強支持"; 連拖帶拽 "又拖又拉，極言費力"). 拽 could also describe the way one walks, but it means "dragging one's feet" 拖著腳步 (西遊記：「輪鎗拽步」).  拽巷邏街 is 在街巷中拉扯叫罵，驚動街坊.


----------



## brofeelgood

Intriguing.

I've always known it as 跩, as in 神气/嚣张/arrogant swagger.

I hold the same understanding as Skater in regard to 拽 - pull/tug/yank.


----------



## allan8964

Agree with Skatinginbc. It should be 跩 and because it's a dialect character so sometimes people use 拽 instead.
[bare link removed by moderator]

allan


----------



## yuechu

I'm watching a Korean TV show (with Chinese subtitles) and recently heard the following: (actually I read the following since the dialogue is in Korean)
"嗨，*拽*小子。看着我，害怕了吗？整天都这么*拽*，不觉得很累吗？你以为我是想你了吗？但我也因为我伤到了手，所以我怎么也要谢谢你才行"
[a girl is talking to a guy through the intercom at his apartment]

Does anyone know what the meaning and pronunciation of 拽 are here?
Thanks!


----------



## fyl

^
This is just the zhuai3 （趾高气昂 得意忘形 etc) as discussed in the previous posts.


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, fyl!


----------



## yuechu

I read the following sentence today in a book: "麻子爷爷一眼看到了，不吱一声，闷着头追了过来，一把抓住牛绳，紧接着将那个孩子从牛背上拽下来，摔在地上。 ”
Does anyone know how "拽" should be pronounced in this sentence? Should it be zhuài (to pull, to tug at)? (Also, would anyone be able to translate this sentence to English? I'm not 100% sure of the meaning)
Thanks so much!


----------



## vanityoflife

It has the same meaning as swagger.


----------



## Skatinginbc

yuechu said:


> ...将那个孩子从牛背上拽下...


...yanked that kid off the ox's back...


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, Skatinginbc! So it is pronounced zhuài here, right? 
謝謝！


----------



## Skatinginbc

yes


----------

