截 (jié) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

截

jié[jie2]Tone 2

to cut off, to stop, to intercept, section

HSK 6

Guru Deep Dive

English · to cut off, to stop, to intercept, section

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:14

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left side (载 component) slightly narrower and denser to leave ample breathing room for the right side (戈 weapon/halberd).

1. Meaning

to cut off or sever with a tool, or to intercept something in motion

to stop or block a process or patha section, piece, or chunk of a longer whole

Verb / Measure wordNeutral#actions#measurements#separations

Sample Usage

把绳子截成两段。
bǎ shéngzi jié chéng liǎng duàn.
Cut the rope into two sections.
我们在半路截住了他。
wǒmen zài bànlù jiézhù le tā.
We intercepted him halfway.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵]/Tone: 35

截

jiéjie2

´(35)

=jié

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: sounds like the 'j' in 'jeep' but produced further forward with the blade of the tongue against the back of the lower teeth

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue blade touches the back of the lower teeth, air passes smoothly without a strong burst.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'ye' in 'yes'

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

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

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from a mid pitch to a high pitch, exactly like the inflection used when asking a question in English like 'Really?'

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex initial or confusing Tone 2 (rising 35) with Tone 4 (falling 51), making it sound like jiè instead of jié.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving upward from chest level to eyebrow level, exactly like asking 'Huh?' in surprise.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 14 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left side (载 component) slightly narrower and denser to leave ample breathing room for the right side (戈 weapon/halberd).

4. Components

Radical 戈 · Halberd Radical (weapon, halberd, spear)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 戈 (indicates cutting, chopping, or weapon usage)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 戴 (original sound: jié/zài root elements)

The character combines the element 载 (carrying/loaded) on the left with 戈 (halberd/weapon) on the right, symbolizing a heavy burden being chopped or cut off in half.

载 To carry or load (phonetic/semantic hint)
戈 Halberd or weapon used for chopping

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed by combining a phonetic base with the weapon radical 戈 to represent the physical act of slashing or cutting something in two.

Semantic Evolution: From the original concrete action of slashing with a weapon, it broadened to mean stopping, intercepting, or dividing any continuous entity into sections.

The 戈 radical appears in many characters related to warfare, cutting, and violence.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: セツ / Kun: たつ

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine carrying a heavy load (载) on your back when suddenly a bandit jumps out holding a sharp halberd (戈) and decides to CUT OFF (截) your path and intercept your journey!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

截

jiéto cut offBase character with halberd 戈.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

戴(dài)

戴 has a different bottom element (异) instead of a halberd (戈), meaning 'to wear' rather than 'to cut'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

请把这根木头[___]成两段。

Clue: jié

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-side weapon radical 戈 with similar looking components like 王 or 土, leading to incorrect stroke counts.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 截, what English verbs of separation or stopping come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to intercept or cut off' with 14 strokes?

截jiéto cut off, to stop, to intercept, section

Speed:

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