挫 meaning and stroke order
To check, to obstruct, to push down
How to write 挫, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 挫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- obstructed
- to fail
- to oppress
- to repress
- to lower the tone
- to bend back
How 挫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 坐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 挫
挫 is a hand 扌 next to 坐 (zuò, to sit), which gives the sound. Picture a hand pushing someone down until they are forced to sit, and you have the idea of being pushed down or held back.
挫 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in words about setbacks and defeat, such as 挫折 (cuòzhé) and 挫败 (cuòbài). Example: 他遇到了很多挫折。(Tā yùdào le hěn duō cuòzhé.) He ran into many setbacks.
Common mistake: Learners often read 挫 as zuò because of the phonetic part 坐, but it is cuò with a fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 锉 (cuò, a file tool), which has the metal radical 钅 instead of the hand 扌.
Common words with 挫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
挫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 挫
How many strokes are in 挫?
挫 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 挫 mean?
挫 (cuò) means to check, to obstruct, to push down. A common word with it is 挫折 (cuòzhé), meaning "setback; reverse".
How do you pronounce 挫?
挫 is pronounced cuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 挫?
The radical of 挫 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 挫 under this radical.
Is 挫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 挫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 受挫 mean and how is it used?
受挫 (shòucuò) means to suffer a setback or be thwarted. It often describes plans, confidence or progress, as in 信心受挫 (xìnxīn shòucuò), meaning one's confidence took a hit.
What does 抑扬顿挫 describe?
抑扬顿挫 (yìyáng-dùncuò) describes speech or music that rises, falls, pauses and turns in a pleasing rhythm. It is usually praise for someone who reads aloud or speaks with expressive cadence. Here 挫 relates to the sense of lowering or bending the tone.