Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 拾取 | shíqǔ |
| 撿 / 捡 | jiǎn |
| 拾 | shí |
| 拿起 | náqǐ |
| 舉起 / 举起 | jǔqǐ |
| 拾起 | shíqǐ |
The choice of word depends on whether you are lifting an object, retrieving something from the ground or receiving an item like a package. In daily spoken Chinese, 捡 is the most common way to express picking up something that was dropped or left on the floor. If you are picking up items from the ground in a more casual way, you can also use 捡起来.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 拿起 is composed of 拿 (ná), meaning 'to hold/take' and 起 (qǐ), meaning 'up/to rise'.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the specific movement or starting position of the object. Use 捡 specifically when the action involves picking something up from the ground, whereas 拿起 is a more general term for lifting something up. Use 举起 when the emphasis is on raising something high above the head or holding it aloft, rather than just lifting it from a surface.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The level of formality varies significantly between terms. 拾取 is a formal or technical term often used in written contexts, such as in video game interfaces to describe picking up an item. For formal situations involving documents, packages or tickets, use 领取. If you are retrieving or picking up something previously left somewhere, the formal term is 取回. In an informal or humorous context, 抱走 can mean to carry away or grab and go.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 'pick up' can be expressed as 領.
How do you pronounce it?
shíqǔ
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the concept of 'picking up' a habit or a language is expressed using 养成 or 学会, rather than any of the physical verbs like 捡 or 拿起.
- While 'pick up' in English can mean to collect a person, using the Chinese term 拿起 for a person would be nonsensical, as it only applies to inanimate objects or lifting one's own limbs.
- The character 拾 is composed of the radical 扌, which literally means 'hand'. This visual clue reminds the reader that the action requires physical contact.
Examples in context
- 不久，同样的服务员回来拿起菜。Soon the same waiter came back to pick up the dishes.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 拿起 to describe a waiter picking up dishes.Tatoeba #733166 by mcq, translation #32410 by mcq
- 接电话Pick up the phone
- 接人Pick up a person
- 领取快递Pick up a package
- 捡起地上的钥匙Pick up the keys from the ground
- 取回行李Pick up/retrieve luggage
- 抓起地上的纸张Pick up the pieces of paper from the ground
- 机器人可以自动拾取物体。Jīqìrén kěyǐ zìdòng shíqǔ wùtǐ.The robot can automatically pick up objects.
Example conversation
Jiayi and Junjie are cleaning a room together.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰，请帮我拾取这些纸片。jùn jié, qǐng bāng wǒ shí qǔ zhè xiē zhǐ piàn.Junjie, please help me pick up these pieces of paper.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，我现在就做。méi wèn tí, wǒ xiàn zài jiù zuò.No problem, I will do it right now.
- 佳怡 Jiayi谢谢你，这样干净多了。xiè xiè nǐ, zhè yàng gān jìng duō le.Thank you, it's much cleaner now.
- 俊杰 Junjie不客气，佳怡。bú kè qì, jiā yí.You're welcome, Jiayi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pick up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
