‘投篮’ literally means ‘to throw into the basket’ and specifically refers to the action of shooting a basketball toward the hoop in basketball. The first character 投 (tóu) means ‘to throw,’ ‘to hurl,’ or ‘to cast,’ while the second character 篮 (lán) means ‘basket,’ short for 篮筐 (lánkuāng, ‘basket rim’) or 篮球 (lánqiú, ‘basketball’). Together, they form a compound verb that describes the core offensive skill in basketball — releasing the ball with the intent to score.

This word is used almost exclusively in sports contexts, especially when discussing technique, practice, or game situations. It appears frequently in coaching instructions, sports commentary, and fitness discussions. While 投 can combine with many nouns (e.g., 投球 tóu qiú ‘to throw a ball’), 投篮 is a fixed, unambiguous term for basketball shooting — it’s not used for other sports like volleyball or soccer. Learners should note that it functions as a verb and usually requires an object or adverbial modifier (e.g., ‘三分线外投篮’ — ‘shoot from beyond the three-point line’).