卸 (xiè) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

卸

xiè[xie4]Tone 4

to unload

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · to unload

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (止) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (卩 plus folded elements) is wider, heavier, and extends lower to balance the overall frame.

1. Meaning

to unload, offload, or take off

to unhitch or dismantleto remove or strip awayto get rid of or shirk responsibility

VerbNeutral#logistics#labor#removal#actions

Sample Usage

司机正在卸货。
sī jī zhèng zài xiè huò.
The driver is unloading the cargo.
卸妆
xiè zhuāng
to remove makeup

2. Sound

/[ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

卸

xièxie4

`(51)

=xiè

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

xie

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative

Sounds like: sh sound produced with the tongue tip down behind lower teeth

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue approaches the hard palate while the tip rests gently behind the lower front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'yeah' or 'ee-eh'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yeh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, exactly like shouting 'Hey!' in annoyance.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with xié (second tone) or xiě (third tone); ensure the pitch starts high and plunges straight down without dipping or rising.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp karate chop downward from high to low, representing a sudden drop in pitch like an emphatic 'No!'

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (止) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (卩 plus folded elements) is wider, heavier, and extends lower to balance the overall frame.

4. Components

Radical 卩 · Seal Radical (stamp, joint, or kneeling person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 卩 (indicates kneeling, bending, or structural breakdown)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 止 (original sound: zhǐ / xiè phonetic drift family)

A worker stops (止) what they are doing and bends the knee (卩) to take off armor or unload heavy goods from a cart.

止 to stop (phonetic and contextual cue)
卩 seal / posture component

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 卸 (xiè)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined elements indicating stopping or halting a transport vehicle and unloading its contents while someone kneels or bows.

Semantic Evolution: From stopping carts and removing burdens to general removal, uninstalling software, and getting rid of duties.

In ancient times, carts arriving at city gates had to unload goods for inspection, giving rise to the core sense of unloading.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シャ (sha) / Kun: くだ.す (kuda.su), お.ろす (o.rosu)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

해

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You tell someone to **STOP (止)** and **KNEEL (卩)** before you **UNLOAD** the massive crates strapped to their back.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

御

yùimperial; to drive; to manage+ 彳 (stepping)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

谢(xiè)

谢 features the speech radical (讠) at the front for thanking people, whereas 卸 features the stop/foot radical (止) for unloading.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

工人正在把卡车上的货物[___]下来。

Clue: xiè

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the character structure with 谢 (thank you) due to the identical pronunciation xiè.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 卸, what action does it immediately evoke?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to unload' or 'to remove makeup' (xiè)?

卸xièto unload

Speed:

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