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切磋

Mandarin · pinyin qiē cuō

to compare notes; to learn from one another

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Characters in this entry

切: qiè · cut, mince, slice, carve
磋: cuō · polish, buff; scrutinize

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1 · qie1 cuo1

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cit3 co1

Cantonese word readings for 切磋. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(literally) to cut and polish (stones, bones, horns)
(figuratively) to compare notes; to learn (skills) from each other

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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