About
The character "刮" structurally integrates the component "舌", which in this context likely signifies a broad or flat surface, with "刂", the knife radical, to visually convey the action of scraping or cutting with a blade. Its etymological roots lie in concrete actions of removing material from a surface, such as scraping clean or paring away, with early usage firmly anchored in these physical applications. Over time, the semantic range of the character broadened through metaphorical adaptation, encompassing notions like gathering resources through strenuous effort or describing the manner in which wind sweeps across surfaces, the latter meaning originally associated with a separate character that included the wind radical. This evolution in meaning, from literal scraping to figurative and environmental actions, occurred without substantial alteration to the character's basic graphical composition, maintaining a direct link between its form and the core concept of applied friction or force.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
今天刮风了。
爸爸在刮胡子。
她用勺子刮蛋糕。
刮大风时别出门。
我刮掉了鞋底的泥。
画家用刀刮画布调整颜色。
台风刮倒了路边的许多树。
在清理车库时，他刮掉了门上生锈的漆。