rēng: 扔 - To Throw, To Toss, To Throw Away

• Keywords: rēng, 扔, throw in Chinese, toss, throw away, discard, abandon, Chinese verb for throw, how to throw in Chinese, 扔掉, 扔垃圾
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese verb 扔 (rēng), meaning “to throw” or “to discard.” This comprehensive guide covers its meaning, character breakdown, cultural context, and practical usage. With over 10 example sentences and a clear explanation of its difference from the similar word 丢 (diū), you'll master how to use 扔 (rēng) for everything from throwing a ball to throwing away trash in authentic, everyday Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): rēng
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 2
• Concise Definition: To throw, to toss, or to discard something with an action of the hand.
• In a Nutshell: 扔 (rēng) is a fundamental action verb. At its core, it describes the physical motion of propelling an object from your hand through the air. By extension, it's the most common way to talk about “throwing away” or “discarding” things you no longer want, like trash or old clothes. Think of it as the go-to word for the action of getting something out of your hands.

• 扔 (rēng) is a phono-semantic compound character (形声字), which is a very common type of Chinese character.
• 扌(shǒu): This is the radical, a compressed form of the character 手 (shǒu), meaning “hand.” This radical, often called a “hand-radical” (提手旁 tí shǒu páng), indicates that the character's meaning is related to an action performed with the hands.
• 乃 (nǎi): This component primarily provides the phonetic sound for the character. On its own, it can mean “to be” or “so,” but here its main function is to give the sound “reng” (an approximation of “nai”).
• By combining the hand radical (扌) with the sound component (乃), we get 扔 (rēng): an action done with the hand.

While a simple verb, 扔 (rēng) connects to broader cultural themes in China, particularly the tension between traditional frugality and modern consumerism. For older generations who lived through times of scarcity, the idea of casually 扔 (rēng) away items was almost unthinkable. The value of 节约 (jiéyuē - frugality) meant that everything was repaired, reused, or repurposed. In this context, “throwing something away” could be seen as wasteful and irresponsible. In modern, urban China, the concept has become much more aligned with Western norms. The convenience of disposable goods and the rise of consumer culture mean that 扔垃圾 (rēng lājī - throwing away trash) is a daily, unremarkable activity. Major cities have extensive public campaigns about sorting and properly disposing of trash, so knowing how and where to 扔 (rēng) your waste is a matter of civic duty. Comparing it to “throw away” in English, the core meaning is identical. The cultural nuance lies in the historical weight. While an American might not think twice about tossing an old t-shirt, a Chinese grandparent might still instinctively see it as a waste of usable material, highlighting a generational shift in values.

扔 (rēng) is a high-frequency, informal verb used constantly in daily life.

• Literal Throwing: This is the most direct meaning, used for actions like throwing a ball, a stone, or a frisbee. It emphasizes the physical act of propulsion.
  • Example: He threw the ball to me. (他把球扔给了我。)
• Throwing Away / Discarding: This is perhaps the most common usage. It's almost always paired with the resultative complement 掉 (diào) to form 扔掉 (rēngdiào), which explicitly means “to throw away.” This is used for trash, old items, or anything you want to get rid of permanently.
  • Example: I need to throw away these old shoes. (我得把这些旧鞋扔掉。)
• Figurative Usage: Less common, but 扔 (rēng) can be used figuratively to mean “to dump” or “offload” a responsibility or problem onto someone else. It carries a negative connotation of shirking one's duty.
  • Example: The manager threw the whole project to me. (经理把整个项目都扔给我了。)

• Example 1:
  • 请把垃圾扔进垃圾桶里。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng bǎ lājī rēng jìn lājītǒng lǐ.
  • English: Please throw the trash into the trash can.
  • Analysis: A very common and polite imperative sentence. This is a phrase you'll see on signs and hear in daily life. `把 (bǎ)` is used to bring the object “trash” before the verb “throw”.
• Example 2:
  • 他把球扔得很高。
  • Pinyin: Tā bǎ qiú rēng de hěn gāo.
  • English: He threw the ball very high.
  • Analysis: This example uses `得 (de)` to introduce a complement of degree, describing how the ball was thrown (very high).
• Example 3:
  • 这件衣服太旧了，我想把它扔掉。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yīfu tài jiù le, wǒ xiǎng bǎ tā rēngdiào.
  • English: This piece of clothing is too old, I want to throw it away.
  • Analysis: Here we see the common compound 扔掉 (rēngdiào), which specifically means “to throw away” or “discard.” `掉 (diào)` acts as a resultative complement, indicating successful disposal.
• Example 4:
  • 你为什么把我的书扔在地上？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ wèishéme bǎ wǒ de shū rēng zài dìshang?
  • English: Why did you throw my book on the floor?
  • Analysis: This sentence has a clear accusatory and negative connotation. The location `在地上 (zài dìshang)` shows the result of the action.
• Example 5:
  • 别乱扔东西！
  • Pinyin: Bié luàn rēng dōngxi!
  • English: Don't just throw things around! / Don't litter!
  • Analysis: `乱 (luàn)` means “randomly” or “chaotically.” `乱扔 (luàn rēng)` is a common collocation for littering or making a mess by carelessly tossing things about.
• Example 6:
  • 他生气地把手机扔了出去。
  • Pinyin: Tā shēngqì de bǎ shǒujī rēng le chūqù.
  • English: He angrily threw his phone out.
  • Analysis: This shows `扔` used with a directional complement `出去 (chūqù)`, indicating the direction of the throw is “out.” The adverb `生气地 (shēngqì de)` describes the emotion behind the action.
• Example 7:
  • 这个主意不好，我们把它扔了吧。
  • Pinyin: Zhège zhǔyi bù hǎo, wǒmen bǎ tā rēng le ba.
  • English: This idea isn't good, let's just scrap it.
  • Analysis: A great example of figurative usage. “Throwing away” an idea means to abandon or discard it. The final `吧 (ba)` makes it a suggestion.
• Example 8:
  • 小猫被它的主人扔在了公园里。
  • Pinyin: Xiǎo māo bèi tā de zhǔrén rēng zài le gōngyuán lǐ.
  • English: The kitten was abandoned in the park by its owner.
  • Analysis: This uses the passive voice with `被 (bèi)`. In this context, 扔 takes on the strong negative meaning of “to abandon” or “dump.”
• Example 9:
  • 他顺手把钥匙扔在了桌子上。
  • Pinyin: Tā shùnshǒu bǎ yàoshi rēng zài le zhuōzi shàng.
  • English: He casually tossed the keys onto the table.
  • Analysis: `顺手 (shùnshǒu)` is a great adverb meaning “conveniently” or “casually while doing something else.” It shows the action was done without much thought or effort.
• Example 10:
  • 我把石头扔进水里，看它能跳几下。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bǎ shítou rēng jìn shuǐ lǐ, kàn tā néng tiào jǐ xià.
  • English: I threw the stone into the water to see how many times it would skip.
  • Analysis: A simple, descriptive sentence showing `扔` with an object and a destination (`进水里` - into the water).

The most common point of confusion for learners is the difference between 扔 (rēng) and 丢 (diū). They can sometimes be used interchangeably, but they have distinct core meanings.

• 扔 (rēng): Focuses on the action of throwing.