切割

• Pinyin: qiē gē
• Hanzi breakdown: 切 = 七 + 刀 (knife — to cut); 割 = 害 + 刀 (using a knife to separate — to cut, to slice off)

Meaning

To cut; to slice through; to divide by cutting. Used for industrial, technical, or precise cutting of materials.

More technical and precise than the general 切 (to cut). Commonly used in manufacturing, construction, surgery, and geology. Also used figuratively for political or territorial division: 切割利益 (to divide up interests) or 切割责任 (to separate oneself from responsibility). The figurative use is informal and somewhat negative.

Examples

1. 工人使用等离子切割机对厚钢板进行精准切割，误差不超过零点一毫米。 The workers used a plasma cutter to make precision cuts in thick steel plates, with an error margin of no more than 0.1 millimeters.
2. 地质学家研究了岩层的切割面，从中分析出这一区域的地质演变历史。 Geologists studied the cut surfaces of the rock layers and used them to analyze the region’s geological history and evolution.
3. 外科机器人能够在微米级精度下对组织进行切割，大幅降低手术的创伤风险。 Surgical robots can cut tissue with micrometer-level precision, greatly reducing the risk of trauma during surgery.

Usage Guide

Context: manufacturing, surgery, geology, politics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 激光切割技术已广泛应用于汽车零部件的精密制造，相较于传统机械切割，其速度更快、切口更整齐，且材料浪费极少。(Laser cutting technology has been widely applied in the precision manufacturing of automotive components; compared with traditional mechanical cutting, it is faster, produces cleaner cuts, and results in minimal material waste.)
• 事发后，部分涉事官员试图与主要决策者划清界限，通过公开声明切割责任，但调查机构已掌握了完整的决策链证据。(After the incident, some of the officials involved attempted to distance themselves from the key decision-makers, using public statements to sever themselves from responsibility; however, the investigating body had already obtained evidence of the complete decision-making chain.)

Don't Say

• 请切割这块蛋糕 — for everyday food cutting use 切 (to cut) alone or 切开 (to cut open); 切割 sounds overly technical or industrial in a kitchen context

Origin & History

切 (to cut) + 割 (to cut/slice — especially with a blade) — to cut thoroughly or precisely

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal