减

The Chinese character 减 (jiǎn) means "to reduce" or "to subtract". It is composed of two parts: the radical 斤 (jīn), which means "axe", and the phonetic component 监 (jiàn), which means "to supervise". The original meaning of 减 was "to cut off with an axe", and it has since been extended to mean "to reduce" or "to subtract".The character 减 is first seen in oracle bone script, the earliest form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone script, 减 is depicted as a person holding an axe and cutting off a piece of wood. This image is consistent with the original meaning of 减, "to cut off with an axe".In modern Chinese, 减 is used in a variety of contexts. It can be used as a verb, meaning "to reduce" or "to subtract", or as a noun, meaning "a reduction" or "a discount". For example, the sentence "我减了五公斤" means "I lost five kilograms", and the sentence "商店正在减价" means "The store is having a sale".The character 减 is also used in a number of compound words. For example, the word 减法 (jiǎn fǎ) means "subtraction", and the word 减速 (jiǎn sù) means "to slow down".The character 减 is a common character in Chinese, and it is important for HSK learners to be familiar with its meaning and usage.