除

The Chinese character 除 (chú) is composed of two parts: the radical 刂 (dāo), which represents a knife or blade, and the phonetic component 除 (chú), which represents the sound. The character 除 originally meant "to cut off" or "to remove," and it has been used in this sense for centuries. For example, in the classic Chinese text the Analects, Confucius says, "A gentleman should be careful not to cut off people's means of livelihood."Over time, the meaning of 除 has expanded to include other related concepts, such as "to eliminate," "to get rid of," and "to prevent." For example, we can use 除 to talk about eliminating pests, getting rid of bad habits, or preventing diseases. The character 除 can also be used in a more abstract sense, to mean "to make an exception" or "to exclude." For example, we can say 除外 (chúwài) to mean "except for" or "excluding."The character 除 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important character to know for HSK learners, as it is used in many common words and phrases.