verb HSK 5
to pick out · to remove · to scrape off · to pick (teeth/bones)
Meaning
剔 means to carefully remove or pick out something, often unwanted material. It commonly appears in contexts involving removing meat from bones, picking teeth, or eliminating flaws and impurities from something.
Usage
This verb is frequently used in compounds like 剔除 (to eliminate) and 剔骨 (to debone). It carries a sense of careful, deliberate removal rather than rough extraction. Native speakers often use it when discussing food preparation or quality control processes.
Examples
- 01这块肉需要剔除骨头和筋。.This piece of meat needs to have the bones and tendons removed.
- 02他用牙签剔牙。.He picks his teeth with a toothpick.
Common collocations
- 剔牙to pick one's teeth
- 剔骨to debone, to remove bones
- 剔除to eliminate, to weed out
- 剔透crystal clear, exquisitely carved
Antonyms
Origin
The character 剔 contains the knife radical 刂 on the right, indicating the action involves cutting or scraping. The phonetic component 易 (yì) provides the sound, though the pronunciation has evolved over time.