Dictionary › 套

套

tào

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 character level 4 Character

套 (tào) means "to cover; a set (measure word)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 套 means

1. to cover
2. to encase
3. cover
4. sheath
5. to overlap
6. to interleave
7. to model after
8. to copy
9. formula
10. harness
11. loop of rope
12. (fig.) to fish for
13. to obtain slyly
14. classifier for sets, collections
15. bend (of a river or mountain range, in place names)
16. tau (Greek letter Ττ)

Example sentences

• 换枕套。
  Huàn zhěntào.
  Change the pillowcase.
• 把枕套换了。
  Bǎ zhěntào huàn le.
  Change the pillowcase.
• 他戴着手套。
  He is wearing gloves.
• 避孕套坏了。
  The condom broke.
• 你有避孕套吗？
  Do you have a condom?
• 汤姆戴着手套。
  Tom is wearing gloves.

Words starting with 套

• 套装tào zhuāngoutfit or suit (of clothes); set of coordinated items; kit
• 套餐tào cānset meal; (fig.) product or service package (e.g. for a cell phone subscription)
• 套房tào fángsmall room opening off another; inner room; suite; apartment; flat…
• 套用tào yòngto apply (sth hitherto used in a different context)…
• 套路tào lùsequence of movements in martial arts; routine; pattern
• 套间tào jiānvestibule; small inner room (opening to others); suite
• 套子tào zisheath; case; cover
• 套近乎tào jìn hūto worm one's way into being friends with sb (usually derogatory)
• 套话tào huàpolite phrase; conventional greetings; cliché; to try to worm facts out of sb
• 套票tào piàocombination ticket
• 套裙tào qúna woman's suit (including a skirt)
• 套套tào taomethods; the old tricks; (slang) condom
• 套头tào tóu(of a garment) designed to be put on by pulling it over one's head…
• 套件tào jiànkit (equipment); (bicycle) groupset
• 套作tào zuò(agriculture) to interplant
• 套儿tào r(colloquial) loop of rope; noose; scheme
• 套利tào lìarbitrage
• 套包tào bāocollar part of horse harness
• 套印tào yìncolor printing using several overlaid images
• 套取tào qǔto acquire fraudulently; an illegal exchange
• 套问tào wènto sound sb out; to find out by tactful indirect questioning
• 套换tào huànto change (currency) illegally; fraudulent exchange
• 套数tào shùsong cycle in Chinese opera; (fig.) a series of tricks; polite remarks
• 套服tào fúa suit (of clothes)

Words containing 套

• 手套shǒu tàoglove; mitten
• 配套pèi tàoto form a complete set; compatible; matching
• 圈套quān tàotrap; snare; trick
• 外套wài tàoouter garment; jacket; coat
• 有一套yǒu yī tàoto have a skill; to be savvy; to know how to do sth
• 避孕套bì yùn tàocondom
• 客套kè tàopolite greeting; civilities; to exchange pleasantries
• 老套lǎo tàohackneyed; well-worn (phrase etc); same old story
• 整套zhěng tàoentire set
• 成套chéng tàoforming a complete set; complementing one another
• 俗套sú tàoconventional patterns; cliché
• 封套fēng tàoenvelope; wrapper; (book) jacket
• 客套话kè tào huàconventional greeting; polite formula
• 乱套luàn tàoin a mess; upside down
• 老一套lǎo yī tàothe same old stuff
• 跑龙套pǎo lóng tàoto play a small role
• 枕套zhěn tàopillowcase
• 全套quán tàocomplete set; full complement
• 单套dān tàosingle set
• 活套huó tàonoose; running knot
• 牙套yá tàoorthodontic brace; (dental) crown
• 管套guǎn tàopipe sleeve
• 被套bèi tàoduvet cover; quilt cover; (finance) to be stuck with an asset that has decreased in value…
• 双套shuāng tàodouble set; diploid

Characters that look like 套

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 香xiāngfragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic
• 奎kuícrotch; 15th of the 28th constellations of Chinese astronomy
• 眷juàn(bound form) one's family, esp. wife and children; (literary) to regard with love and…
• 蚕cánsilkworm
• 娄Lóusurname Lou; one of the 28 lunar mansions in Chinese astronomy
• 啬sèstingy

Where 套 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Escape, Retirement & Evasion (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read tào correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.