Chinese word

雕

Pronunciation

Pinyindiāo

Meaning

  • verbcarve

Example

他在木头上雕了一只小鸟。tā zài mù tou shàng diāo le yì zhī xiáo niǎo

He carved a little bird into the wood.

Illustration for 雕 (carve)

More examples

工匠在玉石上雕出精美的花纹。gōng jiàng zài yù shí shàng diāo chū jīng měi de huā wén

The craftsman carved exquisite patterns into the jade.

Core concept

Removes pieces from a hard material until a picture, pattern, or form appears.

Common phrases

  • 雕刻diāo kè

    carve

  • 雕花diāo huā

    carved design

  • 雕出diāo chū

    carve out

Similar words

刻kè: Cuts lines into a hard surface to leave letters, words, or patterns.
雕刻diāo kè: Carves hard material into a three-dimensional figure or detailed ornament.

Definition in Chinese

用工具在硬质材料表面去除部分物质，以形成形象、图案或装饰的动作或技术。yòng gōng jù zài yìng zhì cái liào biǎo miàn qù chú bù fèn wù zhì yǐ xíng chéng xíng xiàng tú àn huò zhuāng shì de dòng zuò huò jì shù

Word origin

The character 雕 (diāo, "carve") originally named a bird of prey and later came to denote shaping material by cutting into it.

Usage tips

  • English carve can describe many kinds of cutting, but this Chinese word usually keeps attention on a finished design, figure, or ornament rather than an ordinary slice.

Other meanings

  • engraveverb

Related words

  • 雕刻diāo kècarveverb
  • 雕刻家diāo kè jiāsculptornoun
  • 雕刀diāo dāocarving knifenoun

Word lists with this word