打捞: meaning, pinyin, and usage

Title: Understanding "打捞" - Chinese Word Explanation

1. Basic Information

• Word: 打捞
• Pinyin: dǎlāo
• Literal Meaning: “to hit/scoop + to dredge/fish out”
• Primary Meaning: to salvage, recover, or retrieve something from water

2. In-depth Explanation

• Context and Usage:
  打捞 is used when people retrieve or recover objects, bodies, vehicles, ships, or other things from water. It often appears in contexts involving rivers, lakes, seas, wells, or floodwaters.

In English, it can be translated as “to salvage,” “to recover,” “to retrieve from water,” or “to fish out,” depending on the context.

For example:
- Recovering a sunken ship: 打捞沉船
- Retrieving a body from a river: 打捞尸体
- Fishing out an object that fell into water: 打捞掉进水里的东西

打捞 is more formal and specific than simply saying 拿出来 (“take out”). It usually implies that the object is underwater or in a difficult-to-reach watery place, and that some effort or equipment may be needed.

• Character Breakdown:
  打
• Pinyin: dǎ
• Basic meaning: to hit, to strike, to do an action
• In many Chinese verbs, 打 does not literally mean “hit.” It can indicate performing an action, such as 打电话 (“to make a phone call”) or 打扫 (“to clean”).

捞
- Pinyin: lāo
- Meaning: to fish out, to scoop up, to dredge
- This character is closely related to taking something out of water or liquid.

Together, 打捞 means “to carry out the action of fishing something out,” especially from water.

3. Example Sentences

• Chinese: 救援人员正在打捞沉入河底的汽车。
• Pinyin: Jiùyuán rényuán zhèngzài dǎlāo chénrù hédǐ de qìchē.

• English: Rescue workers are salvaging the car that sank to the bottom of the river.

• Chinese: 渔民从海里打捞出很多垃圾。

• Pinyin: Yúmín cóng hǎi lǐ dǎlāo chū hěn duō lājī.

• English: The fishermen retrieved a lot of trash from the sea.

• Chinese: 警方花了几个小时才打捞到失踪者的遗体。

• Pinyin: Jǐngfāng huāle jǐ gè xiǎoshí cái dǎlāo dào shīzōngzhě de yítǐ.
• English: The police spent several hours before recovering the missing person’s body.

Cultural Notes (if applicable)

In Chinese news reports, 打捞 often appears in serious contexts, such as accidents involving rivers, lakes, or the sea. For example, after a boat sinks or a car falls into a river, reports may say rescuers are 打捞 the vehicle or victims.

The word can also be used in environmental contexts, such as 打捞水面垃圾 (“to remove trash from the surface of the water”). This is common in discussions about protecting rivers, lakes, and coastal areas.

Conclusion

打捞 means to recover or retrieve something from water. Remember that 捞 means “to fish out” or “to scoop up,” and 打捞 usually refers to a more serious or organized effort to salvage something from a river, lake, or sea.