DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

鑿

简凿 · 繁鑿

Mandarin · pinyin záo

(bound form) chisel
to bore a hole; to chisel; to dig
(literary) certain; authentic; irrefutable
also pr. zuò

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

鑿: Look up this written character
凿: záo · chisel; bore, pierce

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2 · zao2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link1same-tone record

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

鑿 · find source passages ↗ · 凿 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 20 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zok6

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

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character

chisel
to bore; to cut a hole; to chisel
to dig
(obsolete) tool for tattooing the face as punishment
(literary) to interpret in a strained manner
(obsolete) used in 鑿行／凿行
(obsolete) used in 鑿空／凿空 (záokōng)
(obsolete) feeling; emotion
(literary or Beijing Mandarin) to beat forcefully
(Hokkien) to stab; to pierce
(Mainland China Hokkien) to criticize with pointed words; to poke holes in people's secrets
(Taiwanese Hokkien) feeling uncomfortable (when worn, etc.)

character

hole; mortise
tunnel

character

real; authentic; irrefutable
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 糳 (zuò, “to polish (rice)”)
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 糳 (zuò, “polished rice”)
used in 鑿鑿／凿凿 (zuòzuò)

character

(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to carve
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 鏃 /镞 (“arrow”)

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack