凿 (záo) — to chisel, to bore, to dig
Definition
凿 (záo) means to chisel or bore through hard material like stone or wood. Compared with 挖 (softer ground, e.g. earth) and 钻 (drilling, often with a tool or into a topic), 凿 emphasizes cutting into a hard surface.
verb
to chiselto boreto dig
Examples
- 凿。Tā zài mù bǎn shàng záo le yí gè xiǎo kǒng.He chiseled a small hole in the wooden board.
- 凿。Gōng rén men zhèng zài záo shān kāi lù.The workers are chiseling through the mountain to build a road.
- ，凿。Zhè kuài shí tou tài yìng, hěn nán záo dòng.This rock is too hard to chisel through.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 鑿; 凿 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥽿
𥽿𥽿鑿záo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 鑿 combines 金, metal, with 𥽿, which gives the sound; the simplified 凿 is a different form.
Appears in
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