拿
ná
拿: five fingers closing
The picture Your fingers close hard around something and pull it toward you. 放 opens the hand and leaves the thing behind; 拿 closes it and brings the thing to you.
Where the picture shows up in 拿
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close your hand on it
帮我拿一下这个箱子。
bāng wǒ ná yíxià zhège xiāngzi
Could you carry this box for me?
Both hands clamp onto the sides of the box and lift it against your chest.
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collect it and bring it
请到三号窗口拿药。
qǐng dào sān hào chuāngkǒu ná yào
Pick up your medicine at window 3.
The bag of medicine comes across the counter and your hand closes on it as you turn away.
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get a grip on it at last
我拿到签证了。
wǒ ná dào qiānzhèng le
I got my visa.
The stamped passport slides back across the desk and your fingers grip it tight.
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can't get a grip
这件事我拿不定主意。
zhè jiàn shì wǒ ná bu dìng zhǔyi
I can't make up my mind about this.
Every time you reach for the decision it slips out of your fist.
拿不定主意 pictures a decision your hand keeps slipping off.
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pick it up and use it as
拿这个当例子吧。
ná zhège dāng lìzi ba
Let's take this one as our example.
You pick one out of the pile and hold it up for everyone to see.
All of it in one picture
拿 is a hand closing. Close it and the box comes up against your chest, the medicine crosses the counter into your palm, the visa finally lands in your grip. Turn it around and you get 拿不定 — you keep reaching, but the decision keeps sliding out of your fingers. Even holding something up as an example is the same hand: you pick one out and bring it your way, which is why anything with 拿 carries a grip and a pull toward you.