剪裁 (jiǎn cái) — to cut out and tailor (a garment); to prune or pare down (writing, text)
Definition
Literary verb: literally to cut and tailor a garment, but figuratively used to 'prune' writing — to cut, reshape, or trim content for effect. Extends the concrete sewing sense to editing prose.
verb
to cut out and tailor (a garment)to prune or pare down (writing, text)
Examples
- 剪裁。Zhè wèi cái feng zhèng zài jiǎn cái yí jiàn xīn yī fu.This tailor is cutting out a new garment.
- 剪裁。Zhè piān xiǎo shuō hái xū yào zǐ xì jiǎn cái yí xià.This novel still needs careful pruning.
- 剪裁。Tā bǎ wén zhāng chóng xīn jiǎn cái le yí biàn.He re-edited the article from scratch.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.