劈

• Pinyin: pī
• Hanzi breakdown: 劈 = 辟 + 刀 (split/open + knife — to cleave with a blade in one powerful stroke)

Meaning

To chop; to split; to cleave; to hack. Describes forcefully cutting something apart with a heavy blade, axe, or similar tool.

Used for splitting firewood (劈柴), lightning striking (雷劈), or any powerful cleaving action. 劈开 (split apart), 劈砍 (hack and chop). Also appears in 劈叉 (do the splits in gymnastics). The force implied is far greater than 切 (slice) or 剪 (cut with scissors).

Examples

1. 他举起斧头，用力将那根粗大的木柴劈成了两半，火光在晚风中摇曳。 He raised the axe and split the thick log in half with all his strength, while the firelight flickered in the evening breeze.
2. 那棵百年老树在昨夜的雷雨中被闪电劈中，拦腰断裂，倒在了路边。 That century-old tree was struck by lightning in last night's thunderstorm, split in two, and toppled by the roadside.
3. 师傅每天早晨都要劈上一摞木柴，以备冬天炉火之用。 Every morning the master splits a stack of firewood to prepare for the stove in winter.

Usage Guide

Context: physical labour, weather, martial arts, rural life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 伐木工人用力将圆木劈开，整齐地码放在一旁，备好了整个冬季所需的燃料。(The lumberjack forcefully split the logs open and stacked them neatly to the side, preparing enough fuel for the entire winter.)
• 一道闪电劈开了漆黑的夜空，随之而来的惊雷震得山谷回响不绝。(A bolt of lightning cleaved through the pitch-black night sky, and the thunder that followed echoed endlessly through the valley.)

Don't Say

• 他把苹果劈了 — use 切 for cutting fruit with a kitchen knife; 劈 implies a powerful cleaving blow and is inappropriate for delicate or precise cutting tasks

Origin & History

辟 (phonetic + sense of splitting open) + 刀 (knife/blade) — to split forcefully with a blade in a single powerful stroke

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal