去掉 (qù diào) — to remove; to get rid of; to eliminate

Definition

去掉 (qùdiào) means 'to remove' something unwanted from a group, list, or surface. It is more neutral than 删除 (delete from digital/records) and more concrete than 消除 (eliminate, abstract).

verb
to removeto get rid ofto eliminate

Examples

  • 去掉。
    Yòng xǐ yī fěn néng qù diào yī fu shàng de yóu zì.
    You can remove the grease stains from clothes with laundry detergent.
  • 去掉,。
    Zhè ge wèn tí bì xū chè dǐ qù diào, bù néng liú hòu huàn.
    This problem must be completely eradicated, leaving no future trouble.
  • 去掉?
    Bào míng biǎo shàng nà ge xuǎn xiàng nǐ qù diào le ma?
    Did you remove that option on the registration form?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

去qùremove
掉diàofall off

去 (remove) plus 掉 (fall off) gives take away, get rid of.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

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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