锄草 (chú cǎo) — to weed (with a hoe); to hoe up weeds | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-object compound meaning to remove weeds with a hoe (锄). More specific than the general 除草, which covers any method of weeding; 锄草 emphasizes the action of hoeing.

verb

to weed (with a hoe)to hoe up weeds

Easily confused

除草chú cǎosound-aliketo weed, to remove weeds

Examples

锄草。
Nóng mín zài dì lǐ chú cǎo.
The farmer is weeding in the field.
。
Zuó tiān tā chú le liǎng gè xiǎo shí de cǎo.
Yesterday he weeded for two hours.
。
Zhè kuài dì hái dé zài chú yí cì cǎo.
This piece of land needs to be weeded once more.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

锄 means to use a hoe, and 草 is the grass to be cleared.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鋤; 锄 is its simplified writing.

金助鋤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

助

助zhù鋤chú

Same sound today

The traditional form 鋤 pairs 金 (metal) with 助, which gives the sound; the simplified 锄 is a later shorthand.

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

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

早zǎo草cǎo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.