斫 (zhuó) - to chop & to hack

斫Tone 2

zhuó ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

志

斫 · zhuó

to chop;

to hack;

to cut with an axe or heavy blade;

to hew.

to chopto hackto cut with an axe or heavy blade

Usage highlights

chop woodhew stonechop and killcarve woodaxe choppingchop and carve

Synonyms

  • 砍— to chop; to cut
  • 劈— to split; to chop
  • 斩— to behead; to chop

Antonyms

  • 接— to connect; to join
  • 连— to link; to connect
  • 合— to combine; to unite

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He chopped wood with an axe (斫柴).
  • The sculptor hewed the stone block (斫石).
  • Ancient warriors used axes for chopping (斫杀).
  • The craftsman carved the wood (斫木).

Collocations

  • chop wood(斫柴)
  • hew stone(斫石)
  • chop and kill(斫杀)
  • carve wood(斫木)
  • axe chopping(斧斫)
  • chop and carve(斫雕)

Idioms

  • Chop off the feet(斫胫)
  • Cut off the head(斫首)
  • Hew a boat to seek a sword(刻舟求剑 - related concept)
  • Chop the mountain to open the road(斫山开路)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted an axe chopping action, showing the tool 斤 (axe) and the object 石 (stone).
  • Used in ancient texts describing woodworking, construction, and military actions.
  • Appears in historical records describing punishment methods like foot-chopping.
  • Associated with manual labor and craftsmanship in traditional societies.

FAQ