Chinese word

清扫

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīng sǎo

Meaning

  • verbclean up

Example

我们明天要清扫教室。wǒ men míng tiān yào qīng sǎo jiào shì

We need to clean up the classroom tomorrow.

Illustration for 清扫 (clean up)

More examples

周末我和家人一起清扫房间。zhōu mò wǒ hé jiā rén yì qǐ qīng sǎo fáng jiān

This weekend, my family and I will clean up the room together.

Core concept

A deliberate sweeping action removes dust and loose rubbish until a surface is clean.

Common phrases

  • 清扫房间qīng sǎo fáng jiān

    clean up the room

  • 清扫教室qīng sǎo jiào shì

    clean up the classroom

Similar words

打扫dá sǎo: Making a room or other indoor area clean by wiping or sweeping away dust and rubbish.
收拾shōu shí: Organizing scattered things by gathering them or putting them away.
清理qīng lǐ: Clearing away unwanted items or dirt while sorting and handling what remains.
扫地sǎo dì: Using a broom to clear dust and rubbish from the floor.

Definition in Chinese

用扫帚或其他工具把地面或物体表面的灰尘、垃圾等扫除干净，侧重通过扫动将杂物和尘土去除并达到清洁的结果。yòng sào zhǒu huò qí tā gōng jù bǎ dì miàn huò wù tǐ biǎo miàn de huī chén lā jī děng sǎo chú gān jìng cè zhòng tōng guò sǎo dòng jiāng zá wù hé chén tǔ qù chú bìng dá dào qīng jié de jié guǒ

Word origin

清扫 (qīngsǎo, "clean up") combines 清 (qīng, "clean") with 扫 (sǎo, "sweep"), joining the clean result with the sweeping action.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 打扫 (dǎsǎo, "clean") is often more natural for a home or room, while 清扫 (qīngsǎo, "clean up") is common for schools, streets, workplaces, and written instructions.

Other meanings

  • sweepverb
  • sweep awayverb

Opposites

  • 弄脏nòng zāngmake dirtyverb
  • 弄乱nòng luànmess upverb

Related words

  • 清扫工qīng sǎo gōngcleaning workernoun
  • 清扫员qīng sǎo yuáncleanernoun

Word lists with this word