切 (qiē) — to cut, to slice | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

切 (qiē) means 'to cut or slice' with a knife — it pairs with what you cut (∼肉, ∼水果). Note 切 is also read qiè meaning 'close to' or 'eager', as in 切实.

verb

to cutto slice

Easily confused

切。
Qǐng bǎ zhè ge xī guā qiē chéng xiǎo kuài.
Please cut this watermelon into small pieces.
切。
Mā ma zhèng zài chú fáng lǐ qiē shuǐ guǒ.
Mom is cutting fruit in the kitchen.
切。
Tā yòng dāo qiē le bàn gè dàn gāo.
He cut half the cake with a knife.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

七刀切

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

七

七qī切qiè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 切, the 刀 (knife) part is joined to 七, which gives the sound.

Appears in