锲 (qiè): to cut

锲 (qiè) is a Chinese character meaning “to cut.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (structural) and 契 (structural). It ranks #3132 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 锲 something engraved 契 in metal 钅; 契 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 金 (jīn, metal, gold), 钱 (qián, money), 银 (yín, silver, bank).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 钅 metal14 strokesFrequency #3132钅 structural 契 structural

Definitions

to cut

Etymology & Origin

锲

ideographicSomething engraved 契 in metal 钅; 契 also provides the pronunciation

Decomposition: ⿰钅契 (layout: left-right)

Components:钅structural 契structural

Stroke Order

Practice writing 锲 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
锲而不舍	qiè ér bù shě	to chip away at a task and not abandon it (idiom)

Total compounds

100

As first character

As last character

As middle character

锲 appears in 1 compound words: 100 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Strongest Collocations

Characters that most frequently co-occur with 锲 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

舍shě

0.497168 co-occurrences

而ér

0.349192 co-occurrences

形xíng

0.33566 co-occurrences

体tǐ

0.32754 co-occurrences

不bù

0.324168 co-occurrences

Idioms & Chengyu (1)

锲而不舍qiè'érbùshěHSK 7+

to persevere; to continue doing something in a determined way and not give up

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

锲字的写法很特别，让我印象深刻。

qiè zì de xiě fǎ hěn tè bié , ràng wǒ yìn xiàng shēn kè .

The way the character "锲" is written is quite unique, and it really left a lasting impression on me.

Character Family

钅 Radical Family — Characters sharing the metal radical

错cuò 钉dīng 钢gāng 金jīn 钱qián 铁tiě 铜tóng 银yín 针zhēn 钟zhōng

Related Characters

金jīn 钱qián 银yín 铁tiě 钢gāng 铜tóng 钟zhōng 针zhēn 错cuò 钉dīng

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 锲 (qiè) mean in Chinese?

锲 (qiè) primarily means "to cut." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #3132 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 锲 have?

锲 is written with 14 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 锲?

The radical associated with 锲 is 钅 (metal). This radical appears in many characters related to metal.

What are the components of 锲?

锲 is composed of: 钅 (structural), 契 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰钅契 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 锲?

Common words with 锲 include: 锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě, "to chip away at a task and not abandon it (idiom)"). There are over 1 compound words containing this character.

Is 锲 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 锲 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 锲 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play