HSK 6 · Verbs

削 xiāo “to peel” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 削 means

to peel
to pare
to sharpen (a pencil)
to peel with a knife
to cut (a ball at tennis etc)

How to say 削

削xiāo1st tone, high and level

削 in a sentence

我在削芹菜和土豆。
Wǒ zài xiāo qíncài hé tǔdòu.
I’m peeling the celery and the potatoes.
Sentence #6940068 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
帮我削一下土豆。
Bāng wǒ xiāo yíxià tǔdòu.
Help me peel the potatoes.
Sentence #6940187 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters
他给自己的苹果削皮。
Tā gěi zìjǐ de píngguǒ xiāo pí.
He’s peeling his apple.
Sentence #13167239 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 削 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 削 (xiāo) with each of its parts in a different colour

削xiāoto peel with a knife

肖to resemble · xiàoSound part
刂knife form of 刀 · dāoMeaning part

刂 hints at the meaning (knife); 肖 (xiào) hints at the sound. Compare it with xiāo.

How to write 削

削 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

削 (xiāo) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it — Stroke order chart for 削 (xiāo). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 削

Words with 削

削弱xuēruò · to weaken 剥削bōxuē · to exploit

More words: Common Verbs

镶嵌xiāngqiàn · to inlay 衔接xiánjiē · to link up 掀起xiānqǐ · to lift 陷入xiànrù · to fall into 消除xiāochú · to eliminate 消耗xiāohào · to consume 销毁xiāohuǐ · to destroy (by burning or melting)消灭xiāomiè · to wipe out

FAQs

What does 削 mean in English?

削 (xiāo) means “to peel” or “to pare”. It is an HSK 6 word.

How do you pronounce 削?

Say it xiāo: xiāo with a 1st tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 削 the same in Traditional Chinese?

Yes. 削 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.

How do you type 削 on a keyboard?

Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiao with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 削 from the suggestions. Typing xiao into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.

What HSK level is 削?

削 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.