拉

拉 (lā) is a verb whose core meaning is 'to pull' or 'to drag' — the direct opposite of 推 (tuī, 'to push'). You pull a door (拉门), pull someone by the hand (拉着手), or drag a suitcase (拉行李). From that physical base it fans out to several extended senses that surprise learners: 拉 means 'to play' a bowed string instrument (拉小提琴, play the violin — because you draw the bow across), 'to chat casually' (拉家常, 拉呱), 'to canvass or drum up' (拉票 solicit votes, 拉客 tout for customers), and colloquially 'to have loose bowels' (拉肚子).

Tone matters: 拉 is first tone lā for 'pull,' but 落 is a different character. The instrument sense is the one English speakers least expect — you don't 'pull' a violin in English, but in Chinese the drawing motion of the bow makes 拉 the natural verb.