投

• Core: To throw, cast, fling, or pitch.
• Self-projection: Jumping or plunging (including suicide by leaping).
• Social/Political Alignment: Casting oneself toward another; seeking refuge, joining a cause, or submitting to authority (e.g., surrendering).
• Medical/Ritual Application: Administering or applying a substance (such as medicine or a charm) to a specific area or ailment.

Primarily used as a verb.

// Contrast with 擲 (//zhì*): While 擲 implies forceful hurling, 投 emphasizes trajectory and can range from a gentle toss to a strategic placement or desperate plunge.

// Directionality: Distinguish between movement //away// from the subject (throwing an object) and movement //toward* a destination (the subject seeking refuge or plunging). This is typically determined by whether the object of the verb is external or the self.