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切磋琢磨

Mandarin · pinyin qiē cuō zhuó mó

lit. cutting and polishing (idiom)
fig. to learn by exchanging ideas or experiences

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Characters in this entry

切: qiè · cut, mince, slice, carve
磋: cuō · polish, buff; scrutinize
琢: zuó · polish jade; cut jade
磨: mó · grind; polish; rub; wear out; a millstone

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–2–2 · qie1 cuo1 zhuo2 mo2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

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 doek3 mo4

Cantonese word readings for 切磋琢磨. 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.

phrase

(original meaning) to carve and polish (bones, horns, ivory and jade)
(figurative) to learn by exchanging ideas and experiences; friendly competition; improvement by learning from others

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

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