裁
Character Story & Explanation
裁 appears frequently in modern administrative and economic language: 裁员 (cái yuán, 'to lay off employees') is widely reported in business news, and 裁判 (cái pàn, 'referee/judge') is essential in sports and law. A well-known idiom is 量体裁衣 (liàng tǐ cái yī, 'measure the body to cut the garment'), meaning 'to tailor solutions to specific needs' — cited in official policy documents since the 1980s to describe localized reforms.
The character’s earliest verified form appears in seal script (c. 3rd century BCE), showing 衣 (clothing) with a phonetic component 単 (a simplified variant of 戴, later standardized as 裁). It was never a pictograph but a phono-semantic compound — no oracle bone evidence exists. Today, Chinese tailors still say ‘先裁后缝’ (xiān cái hòu fèng, 'cut first, then sew') — a phrase unchanged for centuries.
Hi students! Today we’re learning 裁 (cái), a Level 5 HSK character with 12 strokes and the clothing radical 衣. At its core, 裁 means 'to cut out' — like cutting fabric before sewing a garment. This original meaning is still very much alive in modern Chinese, especially in tailoring and manufacturing contexts.
But don’t stop there! Like many Chinese characters, 裁 has expanded metaphorically. It’s used for 'making decisions' (e.g., 裁决 — to adjudicate) or 'reducing staff' (裁员 — to lay off). Think of it as ‘cutting down to essentials’ — whether cloth, options, or personnel!
The radical 衣 (clothing) reminds us that this character began with textile work. Even today, when you hear someone say ‘他负责裁布’ (He’s in charge of cutting the fabric), they’re using 裁 in its most literal, hands-on sense. Mastering this character helps you understand both craftsmanship and authority — two big ideas in Chinese culture.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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