Definitions

(verb) to tear; to rip

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "撕", meaning to tear, is structured with the hand radical (扌) on the left and the phonetic component "斯" on the right. Etymologically, "撕" derives from "斯", which originally conveyed a sense of splitting or parting due to its inclusion of "斤", representing an axe, suggesting a cutting action. Over time, the addition of the hand radical specialized the meaning to denote the physical act of tearing with hands, while "斯" evolved to function primarily as a demonstrative pronoun. The character "撕" has consistently referred to tearing, with its usage expanding to include metaphorical applications such as ripping apart agreements or social bonds.

Example Sentences Hide

开包装。

Qǐng sī kāi bāozhuāng.

Please tear open the packaging.

碎了那张纸。

Tā sī suì le nà zhāng zhǐ.

He tore that piece of paper into pieces.

我在厨房掉了标签。

Wǒ zài chúfáng sī diào le biāoqiān.

I tore off the label in the kitchen.

为了清洁,她掉了旧墙纸。

Wèile qīngjié, tā sī diào le jiù qiángzhǐ.

For cleanliness, she tore off the old wallpaper.

开信封,拿出信纸。

Tā sī kāi xìnfēng, ná chū xìnzhǐ.

He tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

背叛裂了他们的关系。

Bèipàn sī liè le tāmen de guānxi.

Betrayal tore apart their relationship.

当看到成绩时,他掉了试卷。

Dāng kàn dào chéngjī shí, tā sī diào le shìjuàn.

When he saw the grade, he tore up the test paper.

那场激烈的争吵破了他们之间最后的温情。

Nà chǎng jīliè de zhēngchǎo sī pò le tāmen zhī jiān zuìhòu de wēnqíng.

That fierce argument tore apart the last bit of warmth between them.