Definition
凿 (záo) means 'to chisel' — it specifically describes cutting or shaping hard material (stone, wood, metal) with a chisel-like tool, not general digging. 挖 (wā) is the everyday word for digging soil or sand; 钻 (zuān) means to drill a hole with a rotating tool. 凿 also has a separate literary sense 'conclusive, authentic' (as in 确凿 què záo), but at HSK 7 the verb sense is primary.
verb
to chiselto boreto dig
Easily confused
- 早zǎosound-alikeearly
- 糟zāosound-aliketerrible; in a bad state
- 造zàosound-aliketo build; to construct; to manufacture
- 灶zàosound-alikekitchen stove; cooking range
- 枣zǎosound-alikejujube (Chinese date)
Examples
- 凿。Tā zài mùbǎn shàng záo le yí gè xiǎo kǒng.He chiseled a small hole in the wooden board.
- 凿。Gōngrénmen zhèngzài záo shān kāi lù.The workers are chiseling through the mountain to build a road.
- ，凿。Zhè kuài shítou tài yìng, hěn nán záo dòng.This rock is too hard to chisel through.
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