Definitions

qiào to lift; to pry open; to lever open

Etymology phono-semantic

hand

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

As a phono-semantic compound, 撬 uses the 扌 radical (a variant of 手) to indicate a manual action. Its right side, 毳 (composed of three 毛 characters), provides the phonetic component. The character functions as a verb meaning to pry, lever, or force something open with a tool, specifically describing the application of mechanical advantage through physical effort.

Example Sentences Hide

他用开箱子。

Tā yòng qiàogùn qiào kāi xiāngzi.

He used a crowbar to pry open the box.

工人动了石头。

Gōngrén qiào dòngle shítou.

The worker levered the stone.

这把棍很结实。

Zhè bǎ qiàogùn hěn jiēshi.

This crowbar is very sturdy.

他们想开那扇门。

Tāmen xiǎng qiào kāi nà shàn mén.

They want to pry open that door.

小偷试图开保险箱。

Xiǎotōu shìtú qiào kāi bǎoxiǎnxiāng.

The thief tried to pry open the safe.

消防员用工具开了变形的车门。

Xiāofángyuán yòng gōngjù qiào kāile biànxíng de chēmén.

The firefighter used tools to pry open the deformed car door.

我们需要合力才能动这块巨石。

Wǒmen xūyào hé lì cái néng qiào dòng zhè kuài jùshí.

We need to work together to lever this huge rock.

工程师设计了一个杠杆系统来起重物。

Gōngchéngshī shèjìle yī gè gànggǎn xìtǒng lái qiào qǐ zhòngwù.

The engineer designed a lever system to lift heavy objects.