How to Write 斫 (zhuó) — Meaning “To chop / To hack”

Picture a stone (石) lying on the ground, and you use an axe (斤) to chop it into pieces. The action of the axe hitting the stone is the meaning of 斫 — to chop or hack.

斫 has 9 strokes: first write the left part 石 (5 strokes), then the right part 斤 (4 strokes). A common mistake is making the left side too wide; keep 石 narrow and let the axe (斤) extend slightly to the right for balance.

斫 is a verb meaning "to chop," while 斧 is a noun meaning "axe." Visually, 斫 has 石 (stone) on the left, but 斧 has 父 (father) on top with 斤 below. Another rare character 斦 looks similar but has a different composition and is not used in modern Chinese.

斫 is not in the HSK list and appears mainly in classical or literary contexts, such as 斫伐 (to fell trees) and 斫伤 (to slash). The term 斫轮 comes from a Zhuangzi story about a master wheelwright, symbolizing deep skill that cannot be taught by words alone.

Common words containing 斫 include: 斫伐 (zhuó fá) — To fell (trees) / To chop down; 斫轮 (zhuó lún) — To carve a wheel / Master craftsman; 斫伤 (zhuó shāng) — To slash / To cut (injury).