劗Tone 3

jiǎn ｜ 21 strokes ｜ radical:

劗 · jiǎn

To cut;

to sever;

to reduce;

to diminish;

to pare down.

To cutto severto reduce

Usage highlights

To cut offTo reduce expenditureTo trim downTo cut staffTo diminishTo pare down

Synonyms

剪— to cut with scissors
削— to pare, to reduce
减— to decrease, to reduce
割— to cut, to sever

Antonyms

增— to increase
加— to add
扩— to expand

Usage & contexts

Examples

To cut off a piece(劗下一块)
To reduce expenses(劗减开支)
To trim the budget(劗削预算)
To cut down on staff(劗员)

Collocations

To cut off(劗断)
To reduce expenditure(劗费)
To trim down(劗削)
To cut staff(劗员)
To diminish(劗减)
To pare down(劗除)

Idioms

To cut off completely(劗草除根)
To reduce to the minimum(劗至最低)
To sever all connections(劗断联系)

Cultural background

This character is rarely used in modern Chinese and appears mainly in classical texts.
It carries connotations of decisive action and reduction, often in administrative or punitive contexts.
In historical contexts, it could refer to physical cutting or metaphorical reduction.

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