Meaning of 消除
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to eliminate
- to remove
How to use 消除
消除 is a fairly formal verb used with abstract or harmful things such as 误会 (misunderstanding), 隐患 (hidden danger), 影响 (effects), or 疲劳 (fatigue). Example: 我们应该消除误会。(Wǒmen yīnggāi xiāochú wùhuì.) We should clear up the misunderstanding.
消 (xiāo) means to vanish or melt away, and 除 (chú) means to remove, as in 除了 (chúle). Put them together: you remove something until it vanishes completely.
Common mistake: Learners often use 消除 for physical removal of objects, like taking out trash or deleting a file. For those, use 扔掉 (rēngdiào), 去掉 (qùdiào), or 删除 (shānchú) instead. Also note 消除 means to eliminate, while 取消 (qǔxiāo) means to cancel a plan or event.
消除 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
消 xiāo · to diminish · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
除 chú · to get rid of · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 消除.
| 消息 | xiāoxi | (piece of) news; information; message |
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 |
| 消失 | xiāoshī | to disappear; to fade away |
| 取消 | qǔxiāo | to cancel; to call off; to revoke; to rescind |
| 消费 | xiāofèi | to consume (goods and services, resources etc) |
| 消化 | xiāohuà | to digest (food); (fig.) to absorb (information etc); to assimilate; to process |
| 除非 | chúfēi | only if (..., or otherwise, ...); only when |
| 解除 | jiěchú | to remove; to sack |
| 排除 | páichú | to eliminate; to remove |
| 消防 | xiāofáng | firefighting; fire control |
| 拆除 | chāichú | to tear down; to demolish |
| 消毒 | xiāodú | to disinfect; to sterilize |
Questions about 消除
What does 消除 mean?
消除 (xiāochú) means "to eliminate; to remove" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 消除?
消除 is made of 2 characters: 消 (10 strokes), 除 (9 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 消除 an HSK word?
Yes. 消除 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 消除 and 消失?
消除 (xiāochú) is something you do to an object: someone eliminates a problem. 消失 (xiāoshī) means to disappear on its own and does not take an object. For example, 误会消失了 means the misunderstanding went away, while 消除误会 means you cleared it up.
Can 消除 be used in everyday conversation?
Yes, but it sounds a bit formal and is more common in writing, news, and advice. In casual speech people might say 解决 (jiějué, to solve) or 去掉 (qùdiào, to get rid of) for simpler situations.