Writing
潜伏 (qián fú) — how to say "to lurk" in Chinese
潜伏
To lurk, to lie in wait
verb
Character composition
潜
to dive, hidden
伏
to lie, to hide
Radicals / Keys
水
Water
#85 · shuǐ · 4 strokes
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Collocations
潜伏多年
qián fú duō nián
to lurk for many years
潜伏的危机
qián fú de wēi jī
lurking crisis
Examples
间谍在敌方潜伏了多年，等待时机。
The spy lurked among the enemy for years, waiting for the right moment.
敌人潜伏在树林里。
The enemy lurked in the forest.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to lurk" in Chinese?
"to lurk" in Chinese is 潜伏 (qián fú).
What does 潜伏 mean in English?
潜伏 (qián fú) means "To lurk, to lie in wait".
How is 潜伏 pronounced?
It is pronounced qián fú (written as qian fu, qianfu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to lurk" in Chinese characters?
It is written 潜伏: 潜 has 15 strokes, 伏 has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 潜伏?
潜伏 is on the HSK 3.0 levels 7–9 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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