切
- to cut;
- to sever;
- to slice;
- to stop;
- to break off;
Etymology
Phono-semantic compound:
切 = 刀 (“knife,” semantic) + 七 (“seven,” phonetic)
刀 clearly indicates the act of “cutting, slicing.”
七 supplies the sound (tshiet / 절 / 체).
七 was originally derived from 十 (“ten”) and meant to cut / sever.
Over time lower stroke curved and it became repurposed (re-borrowed) as the numeral 7.
The cutting meaning moved into 切, with 刀 made explicit.
Thus 切 originally meant ‘to cut with a knife.’
Later, figurative meanings such as urgent, earnest, intimate, complete.
切 is unusual because, like 初, it keeps 刀 (not 刂) even when placed on the right side.
Usage in Korean
Korean preserves the two readings as part of semantic distinction.
This divergence reflects Middle Chinese tonal categories.
切 (절) — to cut, to sever
切 (체) — “all, completely,” used in compounds such as 일체(一切)
As 절 (“to cut, sever”):
절단 (切斷) — cutting off
절개 (切開) — incision; opening
절식 (切食) — to slice food
단절 (斷切) — severing; breaking off
As 체 (“all, entire”):
일체 (一切) — all, everything
일체불허 (一切不許) — absolutely not allowed
일체사물 (一切事物) — all things
Figurative/extended uses:
간절 (懇切) — earnest, heartfelt
절박 (切迫) — urgent, pressing
절실 (切實) — concrete, real, pressing
Words that derived from 切
Additional notes
Confusion with 絶 and 截:
切 — to cut; earnest; all
絶 — to end; break off entirely
截 — to cut off (sharply), intercept
These three are often confused in handwriting and composition.
Phonological curiosity:
Chinese qiē / qiè both derive historically from Old Chinese tsʰat, corresponding neatly to Sino-Korean 절/체, retaining the split between tonal categories.
Classical citations:
《論語·里仁》 (Analects – “Li Ren”)
「君子欲訥於言而敏於行。」
Not containing 切 directly, but related to earnestness; the idiom 切切 derives from early texts.
《孟子·梁惠王上》 (Mencius)
「切切偲偲，怡怡如也。」
“He was earnest and thoughtful, gentle and pleasant.”
切 = earnest, sincere.
《史記·平原君虞卿列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)
「切問而近思。」
“Ask earnestly and reflect closely.”
切 = earnestly, with intensity.
《莊子·人間世》 (Zhuangzi)
「切切然若亡其耦。」
“Anxious and earnest, as though he had lost his companion.”
切 = urgent, intense.
- 心尸竹 (PSH)
- ⿰ 七 刀
