榨

• Pinyin: zhà
• Hanzi breakdown: 榨 = 木 (wood) + 窄 (narrow) — pressing through a narrow space

Meaning

To press; to squeeze; to extract by pressing. To extract liquid or juice through pressure.

Used for juice extraction: 榨汁 (to juice), 榨油 (to press oil). Figuratively means to squeeze out or exploit: 榨取 (to extort), 压榨 (to oppress). 榨汁机 is a juicer.

Examples

1. 她每天早上用新鲜水果榨一杯果汁作为早餐的一部分。 Every morning she juices fresh fruit as part of breakfast.
2. 这台机器能够从花生中榨出纯正的食用油。 This machine can press pure cooking oil from peanuts.
3. 不良雇主长期压榨员工，克扣工资，引发劳资纠纷。 Unscrupulous employers squeeze employees for the long term and dock their pay, sparking labor disputes.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, food processing, exploitation

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 橙子要选新鲜多汁的，榨出来的果汁才好喝。(Choose fresh, juicy oranges so the juice you press will taste good.)
• 资本家无情地榨取工人的剩余价值。(The capitalists ruthlessly extract surplus value from workers.)

Don't Say

• 榨一个想法 — 榨 is for physical extraction; for squeezing out ideas use 挤出 or 想出

Origin & History

Radical 木 (wood) + 窄 (narrow) — wooden press that squeezes

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal