砍 (kǎn) - to chop & to hack

砍Tone 3

kǎn ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

砍 · kǎn

to chop;

to hack;

to cut;

to fell (trees);

to reduce sharply;

to slash (prices)

to chopto hackto cut

Usage highlights

chop woodslash pricescut down treeshack to deathchop with a knifeaxe murderer

Synonyms

  • 劈— to split; to chop
  • 斩— to behead; to chop
  • 削— to pare; to cut
  • 削减— to reduce; to cut down

Antonyms

  • 增— to increase
  • 加— to add
  • 建— to build

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is chopping wood (砍柴).
  • The company slashed prices (砍价).
  • They are cutting down trees (砍树).
  • The budget was drastically reduced (预算被砍).

Collocations

  • chop wood(砍柴)
  • slash prices(砍价)
  • cut down trees(砍树)
  • hack to death(砍死)
  • chop with a knife(砍刀)
  • axe murderer(砍人凶手)

Idioms

  • Chop nails and slice iron(斩钉截铁)
  • Cut through thorns and brambles(披荆斩棘)
  • Cut the Gordian knot(快刀斩乱麻)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally associated with axe-based labor like woodcutting and construction.
  • In modern usage, extended metaphorically to budget cuts, price reductions, and elimination of projects.
  • Historically associated with execution methods (beheading).

FAQ