摘 (zhāi) - To pick & to pluck

摘Tone 1

zhāi ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

摘 · zhāi

To pick;

to pluck;

to take;

to select;

to extract.

To pickto pluckto take

Usage highlights

To pick flowersTo extract essenceTo make excerptsTo quoteTo remove a titleTo select and edit

Synonyms

  • 采— to gather; to pick
  • 取— to take; to get
  • 选— to choose; to select

Antonyms

  • 种— to plant; to grow
  • 弃— to discard; to abandon

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She picked a flower from the garden (摘花).
  • Please extract the main points from the article (摘录要点).
  • He was removed from his post (被摘去职务).
  • The journalist quoted a passage from the speech (摘引演讲中的一段).

Collocations

  • To pick flowers(摘花)
  • To extract essence(摘取精华)
  • To make excerpts(摘录)
  • To quote(摘引)
  • To remove a title(摘帽)
  • To select and edit(摘编)

Idioms

  • To search for flaws and pick faults(摘瑕指瑜)
  • To pick out the fine and discard the dross(摘菁撷华)
  • To pick stars from the sky—to attempt the impossible(摘星揽月)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character is associated with harvesting and the careful selection of the best parts, such as choice fruits or literary excerpts.
  • It carries a connotation of precision and discernment, often used in intellectual contexts like summarizing texts.
  • The hand radical (扌) emphasizes the physical or metaphorical action of taking or selecting.

FAQ