刨 (páo) — to dig; to excavate; (colloquial) to exclude; to deduct; not to count
Definition
刨 (páo) means 'to dig/ excavate' like 挖 and 挖掘, but is more colloquial; it also colloquially means 'to exclude / not count,' a usage not shared by its synonyms.
verb
to digto excavate(colloquial) to excludeto deductnot to count
Examples
- 刨。Nóng mín zài tián lǐ páo tǔ dòu.The farmer is digging potatoes in the field.
- 刨，。páo Qù chī fàn de shí jiān, wǒ men hái yǒu liǎng gè xiǎo shí.Excluding meal time, we still have two hours.
- 刨。Xiǎo gǒu zài huā yuán lǐ páo le yí gè kēng.The puppy dug a hole in the garden.
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.
刨 puts 刀, a knife, beside 包, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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