削 (xiāo) — to pare, to peel (fruit), to sharpen (a pencil); to remove, to delete (a name or item); to reduce, to cut down (costs, staff, etc.)
Definition
削 (xiāo) is the everyday physical verb for paring/peeling (fruit) or sharpening (a pencil), separate from the abstract 'reduce' sense in 削减. Use 删 for deleting text, 剥 for peeling more forcefully.
verb
to pareto peel (fruit)to sharpen (a pencil)to removeto delete (a name or item)to reduceto cut down (costs, staff, etc.)
Examples
- 削？Nǐ néng bāng wǒ xiāo gè lí ma?Can you help me peel a pear?
- 削。Shāng diàn xiāo jià cù xiāo.The store cut prices to promote sales.
- 削。Tā bǎ nà yí duàn wén zì cóng wén zhāng lǐ xiāo qù le.He deleted that paragraph from the article.
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.
削 pairs 肖, which gives the sound, with 刀 (written as 刂), a knife, to show cutting or paring.
Appears in
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