采 cǎi / cài — to pick; to pluck; to collect; to select; to choose; to gather
周末我们去山上采蘑菇。Zhōu mò wǒ men qù shān shàng cǎi mó gu.At the weekend we went to the mountains to pick mushrooms.
Common words: 采取 (cǎi qǔ)、采用 (cǎi yòng)、采访 (cǎi fǎng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to pluck"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to pluck", including 采 (cǎi / cài), 摘 (zhāi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to pluck" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 采 (cǎi / cài), 摘 (zhāi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cǎi, cài, zhāi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 采 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 采 cǎi / càito pick; to pluck; to collect; to select; to choose; to gatherUseful words: 采取, 采用
- 摘 zhāito borrow; to pick (flowers; fruit); to pluck; to take; to selectUseful words: 摘要, 摘下
Common words for these 2 "to pluck" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 采 (cǎi / cài) — so "to pluck" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
采取cǎi qǔto adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action); to take采用cǎi yòngto adopt; to employ; to use采访cǎi fǎngto interview; to gather news; to hunt for and collect; to cover摘要zhāi yàosummary; abstract摘下zhāi xiàto take off; to remove (one's hat, a door from its hinges etc); to pick (a piece of fruit from a tree etc); (sports) to pick off (a rebound etc)摘由zhāi yóuhigh points (of a document); resume
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to pluck".
摘 zhāi — to borrow; to pick (flowers; fruit); to pluck; to take; to select
秋天到了，果园里的人们忙着摘苹果。Qiū tiān dào le, guǒ yuán lǐ de rén men máng zhe zhāi píng guǒ.Autumn has come, and people in the orchard are busy picking apples.
Common words: 摘要 (zhāi yào)、摘下 (zhāi xià)、摘由 (zhāi yóu)
All 2 characters
Open 采、摘 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.