to cut
English · to cut
to cut, to sever, to slice
- 用刀把绳子割断。yòng dāo bǎ shéngzi gē duàn.Cut the rope apart with a knife.
- 农民正在地里割麦子。nóngmín zhèngzài dì li gē màizi.The farmers are harvesting wheat in the fields.
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (害) is wider and complex, while the right side (刂) is narrow and vertically balanced. Ensure both halves fit harmoniously within an imaginary square without letting the right side drop too low.
Radical 刂 · knife radical (knife, cutting tool)
Semantic Clue (形旁): 刂 (indicates the action of cutting or slicing)
Phonetic Clue (声旁): 害 (original sound: hài/gē phonetic drift)
The character combines the semantic knife radical (刂) on the right with the phonetic/semantic base '害' (harm) on the left, signifying a harmful or dividing cut.
- 害 provides the upper structure and phonetic hint
- 刂 vertical knife radical denoting cutting
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
6· Phonetic Root: 害 (hài)Origin: Originally formed as a phono-semantic compound where the blade/knife radical indicates cutting action, and the component '害' provides the sound and general nuance of injury or separation.
Semantic Evolution: Over time, the meaning broadened from physical cutting with a blade to metaphorical cutting, harvesting crops, and even ceding political territory.
- In classical texts, '割' often referred to ceding land in treaties or ritual animal sacrifice.
Imagine using a sharp knife (刂) to chop up harmful (害) weeds in your garden, completely cutting them apart at the roots.
gēForgetting the vertical knife radical (刂) on the right side and accidentally writing '害' instead.
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