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收

shōu

收: everything spread out, pulled back in

The picture You sweep what was spread out back toward you and take it inside. 发 is what was inside bursting outward; 收 is what was spread outside being gathered back in.

Core verbs

Where the picture shows up in 收

  1. take money in

    这儿收现金吗?

    zhèr shōu xiànjīn ma

    Do you take cash here?

    Your palm sweeps the notes off the counter and into the drawer.

  2. take in what was sent

    我收到你的邮件了。

    wǒ shōu dào nǐ de yóujiàn le

    I got your email.

    The message that flew in drops into the inbox and stacks up with the rest.

  3. gather up the mess

    下班前把桌子收一下。

    xiàbān qián bǎ zhuōzi shōu yíxià

    Clear your desk before you leave.

    You rake the papers spread across the desk into one pile at the edge.

  4. bring what's outside inside

    快下雨了,把衣服收进来。

    kuài xià yǔ le, bǎ yīfu shōu jìnlái

    It's about to rain — bring the laundry in.

    You pull the laundry off the line piece by piece, bundle it against your chest, and step inside.

  5. fold up what you laid out

    我们六点收摊。

    wǒmen liù diǎn shōu tān

    We close up at six.

    The goods on the stall go into boxes and the mat is folded up under your arm.

    收摊 is literally pulling in the stall you spread out for the day.

All of it in one picture

收 is a hand raking what was spread out back inside. The notes on the counter go into the drawer; the message that flew in drops into the inbox. The papers strewn across the desk become one pile, the laundry on the line comes into your arms, and the stall you spread out all day folds back into its boxes — which is what closing up is. So every 收 has the same shape: what was out there crosses back inside your own edge.

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