Chinese word

挖掘

Pronunciation

Pinyinwā jué

Meaning

  • verbdig

Example

工人们在工地上挖掘地基。gōng rén men zài gōng dì shàng wā jué dì jī

The workers are digging the foundation at the construction site.

Illustration for 挖掘 (dig)

More examples

考古学家在古墓里挖掘文物。káo gǔ xué jiā zài gǔ mù lǐ wā jué wén wù

An archaeologist is excavating artifacts in an ancient tomb.

Core concept

Pulls something hidden below a surface into view, whether it is material or an insight.

Common phrases

  • 挖掘潜力wā jué qián lì

    tap potential

  • 挖掘真相wā jué zhēn xiàng

    uncover the truth

  • 挖掘资料wā jué zī liào

    dig up information

Similar words

发现fā xiàn: Discover a fact or thing that was not known by examining or searching.
发掘fā jué: Uncover buried objects or historical materials through digging and careful exploration.
挖wā: Use the hands or a tool to make a hole or remove soil and other material.

Definition in Chinese

把埋藏或隐藏的东西从土中或材料中掏出或揭示，既指实体的掘取，也指对事实或价值的发现。bǎ mái cáng huò yǐn cáng de dōng xī cóng tǔ zhōng huò cái liào zhōng tāo chū huò jiē shì jì zhǐ shí tǐ de jué qǔ yě zhǐ duì shì shí huò jià zhí de fā xiàn

Word origin

挖 (wā, "dig out") + 掘 (jué, "dig") combines two near-synonymous digging verbs, reinforcing the idea of bringing something buried into the open.

Usage tips

  • An object such as soil or a buried object signals a physical action, while evidence, talent, or history signals a search for something valuable that is not yet visible.

Other meanings

  • excavateverb
  • dig outverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 挖掘机wā jué jīexcavatornoun
  • 挖掘者wā jué zhěexcavatornoun

Word lists with this word