剉 (cuò) - To file, grind, or sharpen & to cut or pare

剉Tone 4

cuò ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

橙丁

剉 · cuò

To file, grind, or sharpen;

to cut or pare;

to damage or injure;

to break or snap.

To file, grind, or sharpento cut or pareto damage or injure

Usage highlights

FileTo snap offTo file smoothTo damageTo grindTo pare

Synonyms

  • 銼— To file; a file (tool)
  • 磨— To grind, polish
  • 削— To pare, whittle, cut

Antonyms

  • 銳— Sharp, keen (antonym to the blunting action)
  • 利— Sharp, beneficial (antonym to the damaging action)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He sharpened the knife (剉刀).
  • The branch snapped (剉斷).
  • She filed the metal edge (剉平).
  • The tool was damaged (剉壞).

Collocations

  • File (a tool)(剉刀)
  • To snap off(剉斷)
  • To file smooth(剉平)
  • To damage(剉壞)
  • To grind(剉磨)
  • To pare(剉削)

Idioms

  • To suffer a setback(吃一剉)
  • To be cut down to size(剉其銳氣)
  • To file away arrogance(剉其鋒芒)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted the action of using a knife or file on an object.
  • Used in various technical and craft contexts, especially metalworking and woodworking.
  • Can metaphorically describe setbacks or the reduction of someone's pride or sharpness.

FAQ