Meaning
彻 means 'thorough' or 'to penetrate completely.' It describes something that goes all the way through or reaches to the very end. While it can stand alone in classical Chinese, in modern Mandarin it primarily appears in compound words where it conveys the sense of completeness or thoroughness.
Usage
彻 is rarely used alone in spoken modern Mandarin. It most commonly appears in compounds like 彻底 (thorough), 贯彻 (to implement thoroughly), or 透彻 (penetrating, clear). In classical texts, it can mean 'to remove' or 'to clear away.' The character has a formal, literary register.
Examples
- 01我们要彻底解决这个问题。.We need to thoroughly solve this problem.
- 02他彻夜未眠，思考着未来的计划。, .He stayed awake all night, thinking about future plans.
Common collocations
- 彻底了解to understand thoroughly
- 贯彻执行to thoroughly implement and execute
- 彻头彻尾out-and-out, thorough and through
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 徹 originally combined the radical for 'walking' with phonetic components, suggesting the idea of moving all the way through something, thus 'penetrating' or 'thorough.'