Chinese word

劈

Pronunciation

Pinyinpī

Meaning

  • verbsplit

Example

他把苹果劈成两半。tā bǎ píng guǒ pī chéng liǎng bàn

He split the apple in half.

Illustration for 劈 (split)

More examples

工人用斧头把木头劈成小块。gōng rén yòng fǔ tóu bǎ mù tou pī chéng xiǎo kuài

The worker used an axe to split the wood into small pieces.

Core concept

A sharp edge drives through an object, leaving a clean split or a torn opening.

Common phrases

  • 劈柴pī chái

    chop firewood

  • 劈成两半pī chéng liǎng bàn

    split in half

Similar words

切qiè: Cut something with a blade to separate it or slice off thin pieces.
割gē: Cut an object apart with a blade or tool, dividing it into two or more parts.
砍kǎn: Chop through or cut off part of something with a forceful downward swing of an axe or knife.
斩zhǎn: Cut something off with a forceful stroke of a blade.

Definition in Chinese

用刀、斧等利器用力从中劈开，使物体分成两部分或裂开。yòng dāo fǔ děng lì qì yòng lì cóng zhōng pī kāi shǐ wù tǐ fēn chéng liǎng bù fèn huò liè kāi

Word origin

The written character pairs a knife component with a sound component, linking its concrete form to the forceful cutting action at the word's center.

Usage tips

  • English often uses the broad verb "cut" for both a light slice and a forceful division, but this Chinese verb presents the latter as the important feature.

Other meanings

  • ripverb
  • slashverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 劈开pī kāisplit openverb
  • 劈砍pī kǎnhackverb

Word lists with this word