摘 (zhāi) — to pick (flowers, fruit, etc.); to take off (glasses, hat, etc.); to select; to extract (a passage, sentence, etc.)
Definition
摘 covers three senses: picking (flowers/fruit — like 采), removing worn items like glasses or a hat (opposite of 戴), and selecting/extracting a passage or quote.
verb
to pick (flowers, fruit, etc.)to take off (glasses, hat, etc.)to selectto extract (a passage, sentence, etc.)
Easily confused
Examples
- 摘。Nǎi nai zài yuàn zi lǐ zhāi pú tao.Grandma is picking grapes in the yard.
- 摘。Tā zǒu jìn fáng jiān hòu zhāi xià le yǎn jìng.After entering the room, he took off his glasses.
- 摘。Tā cóng wén zhāng lǐ zhāi le jǐ gè hǎo jù zi.He extracted a few good sentences 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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
啇
啇dí摘zhāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
摘 is made from 扌, a hand, and 啇, which gives its sound.
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