卸掉 (xiè diào) — to unload (cargo, goods); to remove (makeup, accessories); to shed (a responsibility, a role)

Definition

卸掉 means to take off, unload, or shed — concrete objects (cargo, makeup) or figurative loads (responsibility, a role). Always a verb with a direct object; the result is fully removed, not just reduced.

verb
to unload (cargo, goods)to remove (makeup, accessories)to shed (a responsibility, a role)

Examples

  • 卸掉。
    Gōng rén men zhèng zài cóng kǎ chē shàng xiè diào huò wù.
    The workers are unloading cargo from the truck.
  • 卸掉。
    Tā huí jiā dì yī jiàn shì jiù shì xiè diào zhuāng róng.
    The first thing she does when she gets home is remove her makeup.
  • 卸掉,。
    Lǎo chǎng zhǎng jué dìng xiè diào zhí wù, ràng nián qīng rén jiē bān.
    The old factory director decided to step down from his post and let a younger person take over.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

卸xièunload/remove
掉diàooff/away

卸 means to unload or remove, and 掉 adds the sense of coming off.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 卸 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
卓
卓zhuó掉diào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 掉 →

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