Chinese word

摘

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhāi

Meaning

  • verbpick

Example

她在花园里摘了一朵花。tā zài huā yuán lǐ zhāi le yì duǒ huā

She picked a flower in the garden.

Illustration for 摘 (pick)

More examples

他在树上摘了几个苹果。tā zài shù shàng zhāi le jǐ gè píng guǒ

He picked several apples from the tree.

Core concept

Pinch and remove one small part from a larger whole, such as a flower, fruit, leaf, or key point.

Common phrases

  • 摘花zhāi huā

    pick flowers

  • 摘苹果zhāi píng guǒ

    pick apples

  • 摘掉眼镜zhāi diào yǎn jìng

    take off glasses

Similar words

采cǎi: Gather plants, fruits, or leaves as part of a harvest.
取qǔ: Take hold of something and lift it or carry it away.
捡jiǎn: Pick up something that has fallen onto the ground or floor.
剪jiǎn: Cut off a branch, leaf, or other part with scissors or a knife.

Definition in Chinese

用手指捏取或拈下物体的一部分，常用于花、叶、果等的小件，也可指从整体中取出片段或要点。yòng shóu zhǐ niē qǔ huò niān xià wù tǐ de yí bù fèn cháng yòng yú huā yè guǒ děng de xiǎo jiàn yě kě zhǐ cóng zhéng tǐ zhōng qǔ chū piàn duàn huò yào diǎn

Word origin

摘 (zhāi, "pick") is built with the hand radical as its meaning cue and a phonetic component, linking the written form to a hand action that removes something small.

Usage tips

  • The verb is not limited to plants; it also applies to small removable items such as glasses or a hat, so context determines what is being taken off.

Other meanings

  • harvestverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 摘要zhāi yàosummarynoun
  • 摘录zhāi lùexcerptverb
  • 摘抄zhāi chāocopy excerptsverb

Word lists with this word