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叉

Mandarin · pinyin chā#

Mandarin · pinyin chá#

to cross
be stuck

Mandarin · pinyin chǎ#

to diverge
to open (as legs)

Mandarin · pinyin chà#

used in 劈叉 pǐ chà
used in 分叉 fēn chà

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Characters in this entry

叉: chā · crotch; fork, prong

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · cha1

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1character link18same-tone records

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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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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 18 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

caa1

Cantonese word readings for 叉. 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.

character · Etymology 1

fork (pronged tool, including the eating utensil)
to use a fork; to pick up with a fork
(Wu) to pick up food with chopsticks
to cross; to intersect; to interlace
cross; X
Phonetic reading of × when used to replace offensive characters.
(chiefly Cantonese, euphemistic) A generic intensifier which can be substituted for any profane intensifier.
(Cantonese) short for 叉燒／叉烧 (“char siu”)
(Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) to pinch
(Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien) to speak rudely
(Wu) to play (mahjong)
(Xiang, of ducks and geese) to eat

character · Etymology 1

(Northeastern Mandarin) to block up; to jam

character · Etymology 1

to spread; to open; to fork; to separate
(Wu) to push something away; to move something away

character · Etymology 1

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 杈 (chà, “fork of a branch”)
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 岔 (chà, “diverge, branch off; fork in the road”)

character · Etymology 2

(Cantonese) to charge; to recharge

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

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