刮 (guā) — to scrape, to shave; to blow (of wind); to plunder, to extort
Definition
刮 (guā) is a physical, contact verb: scraping a surface or shaving hair — different from 吹, which is wind or air moving without contact. The 'plunder' sense is rare in modern usage.
verb
to scrapeto shaveto blow (of wind)to plunderto extort
Easily confused
Examples
- ，。Jīn tiān wài miàn guā fēng, hěn lěng.It's windy outside today, very cold.
- 刮。Tā měi tiān zǎo shàng guā hú zi.He shaves every morning.
- 刮。Tā bǎ qiáng shàng de huà guā xià lái le.He scraped the painting off the wall.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑刮guā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
刮 combines 刀, a knife, with 𠯑, which gives the sound.
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