躲藏
duǒcáng
The English phrase hide is translated into Chinese as 躲藏 (duǒcáng). If unsure, use 躲藏. Wiktionary also lists 隱藏 / 隐藏 (yǐncáng) and 躲 (duǒ).
Meaning: (intransitive) put oneself in a place where one will be harder to find (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 躲藏 | duǒcáng |
| 隱藏 / 隐藏 | yǐncáng |
| 躲 | duǒ |
The verb refers to the act of putting oneself in a place where one will be harder to find. You can use the phrase 躲起来 to mean hide away, or 躲在角落里 to mean hide in the corner.
Which one should you use?
The form 躲藏 is used when a person or animal is physically hiding from view. In contrast, 隐藏 is used for hiding abstract things like feelings, truths or digital data. Additionally, while 躲 can mean to hide, it is also frequently used to mean dodging a physical blow or avoiding a person or situation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the directional complement 起来 after 躲 creates the common phrase 躲起来, meaning to hide oneself away. The verb 躲 is often followed by 在 to indicate the specific location where one is hiding.
How do you pronounce it?
duǒcáng
Did you know?
- When playing hide and seek, the 'seek' part is not a translation of 'hide', but uses the word for 'find' 找, making the game about the search rather than the hiding.
- The word 隐藏 is often used in literature to describe 'hidden' talents or virtues that a person chooses not to show to society.
- The character for 'hide', 躲, is an ideogrammatic compound that visually incorporates the component for 'body', 身, suggesting the physical act of a body being concealed.
Examples in context
- 我需要躲起來。I have to hide.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal need to hide using 躲.Tatoeba #10287432 by DaoSeng, translation #1744877 by Amastan
- 跑到山里躲起来。Run and hide in the mountains.This sentence is useful for describing the action of running and hiding in the mountains using 躲.Tatoeba #463883 by fucongcong, translation #280103 by CM
- 我们躲在窗帘后面吧。Let's hide behind the curtain.This sentence is useful for suggesting hiding behind a specific object using 躲.Tatoeba #1517486 by gonnastop, translation #63829 by CK
- 快躲起来，别被他们看到。Quick, hide and don't let them see you.
- 我要把这个秘密隐匿起来。I'm going to hide this secret.
- 我要藏起来不说。I'm going to hide it and not tell anyone.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Yuting are playing hide-and-seek in the house.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你在哪里躲藏？Yǔtíng, nǐ zài nǎlǐ duǒcáng?Yuting, where are you hiding?
- 雨婷 Yuting我不会告诉你！Wǒ bù huì gàosù nǐ!I won't tell you!
- 浩然 Haoran你是不是在沙发后面躲藏？Nǐ shì bù shì zài shāfā hòumiàn duǒcáng?Are you hiding behind the sofa?
- 雨婷 Yuting你找到了！Nǐ zhǎodào le!You found me!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hide” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 躲, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
