lāo

to fish up

to dredge up

hand (扌) + labor sound (劳) = fish something up by hand

The hand radical carries the meaning: reaching into water to pull something out. 劳 mainly gives the sound lāo; the labor it suggests fits the effort of dredging, though that connection is coincidental.

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LaborPhonetic
HandSemantic

他从河里起一条鱼。

tā cóng hé lǐ lāo qǐ yī tiáo yú。

He fished a fish up from the river.

工人用网从水里出了很多东西。

gōng rén yòng wǎng cóng shuǐ lǐ lāo chū le hěn duō dōng xi。

The workers used a net to dredge up many things from the water.

Words with 捞

大海捞针

dà hǎi lāo zhēn

lit. to fish a needle from the sea

打捞

dǎ lāo

to salvage

捞一把

lāo yī bǎ

to profiteer

捞什子

lāo shí zi

encumbrance

捞取

lāo qǔ

to dredge up; to scoop up from the water

捞外快

lāo wài kuài

to make extra money

捞女

lāo nǚ

(slang) gold digger; woman who pursues men for money

捞本

lāo běn

to get one's money back (esp. gambling)

捞油水

lāo yóu shuǐ

(coll.) to gain profit (usu. by underhand means)

捞稻草

lāo dào cǎo

(fig.) to clutch at straws (in desperation)

捕捞

bǔ lāo

to fish for (aquatic animals and plants)

捞钱

lāo qián

lit. to dredge for money

More characters with 扌