削 meaning and stroke order
To peel with a knife; to pare; to cut (a ball at tennis etc)
How to write 削, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 削
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to peel with a knife
- to pare
- to cut (a ball at tennis etc)
- to pare
- to reduce
- to remove
- Taiwan pr. [xue4]
How 削 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 肖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 削
The knife radical 刂 on the right tells you this is about cutting, and 肖 (xiào) on the left gives the sound. Picture a small knife shaving thin strips off something, like peeling an apple.
Read it xiāo in everyday spoken actions like peeling fruit or sharpening a pencil. Read it xuē in formal compound words about reducing or taking away, such as 削弱 (xuēruò) and 削减 (xuējiǎn). Example: 我帮你削苹果。(Wǒ bāng nǐ xiāo píngguǒ.) I'll peel the apple for you.
Common mistake: Learners often read 剥削 as bōxiāo or 削弱 as xiāoruò, but in these compounds the reading is xuē. Also do not confuse 削 with 消 (xiāo, to disappear), which has the water radical 氵 instead of the knife 刂.
Common words with 削
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
削 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 削
How many strokes are in 削?
削 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 削 mean?
削 (xiāo) means to peel with a knife; to pare; to cut (a ball at tennis etc). A common word with it is 削弱 (xuēruò), meaning "to weaken; to impair".
How do you pronounce 削?
削 has more than one reading: xiāo and xuē. The most common is xiāo, said in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 削?
The radical of 削 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 削 under this radical.
Is 削 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 削 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I know when to say xiāo and when to say xuē?
Use xiāo when 削 stands alone as a verb for physical peeling or paring, as in 削铅笔 (xiāo qiānbǐ, sharpen a pencil). Use xuē in fixed literary or formal compounds like 削减, 削弱 and 剥削.
Can 削 be used in sports?
Yes. In table tennis or tennis, 削 (xiāo) means to hit the ball with a cutting or slicing motion to add spin. A 削球 (xiāoqiú) is a chop or slice shot.