躲藏 is a compound verb meaning 'to hide oneself' — often to avoid being seen, found, or caught. The first character 躲 (duǒ) means 'to dodge' or 'to evade', emphasizing the act of avoiding detection; the second character 藏 (cáng) means 'to conceal' or 'to store away', stressing the state of being hidden. Together, they form a tightly bound, commonly used verb that implies intentional, often temporary, concealment — not just passive hiding but active effort to remain unseen.

This word appears frequently in contexts involving animals evading predators (e.g., rabbits hiding in burrows), children playing hide-and-seek, or people avoiding danger or embarrassment. It carries a neutral-to-slightly urgent tone and is more literary or formal than the simpler verb 躲 (duǒ) alone. While 藏 can also mean 'to store' (e.g., 藏书 — 'to store books'), in 躲藏 it exclusively conveys physical or visual concealment of a person or animal.