挖

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to dig; to excavate; to scoop out

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Formation & memory

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Ideographic compound (会意字)

To dig out 扌 a hollow 穵; 穵 also provides the pronunciation

Components 扌穵

dig · Heisig RSH #2354

fingers + 穴 hole + fishhook

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
挖空心思	wā kōng xīn si	to dig for thoughts (idiom); to search everything for an answer; to rack one's brains
吃水不忘挖井人	chī shuǐ bù wàng wā jǐng rén	see 吃水不忘掘井人[chi1 shui3 bu4 wang4 jue2 jing3 ren2]
挖土机	wā tǔ jī	excavator; backhoe
耳挖子	ěr wā zi	earpick; curette
挖鼻子	wā bí zi	to pick one's nose
挖机	wā jī	excavator; excavating machine (abbr. for 挖掘機\|挖掘机[wa1 jue2 ji1])
挖开	wā kāi	to dig into; to cut a mine into
开挖	kāi wā	to dig out; to excavate; to scoop out; to start digging
挖空	wā kōng	to excavate; to hollow
挖角	wā jué	to poach (talent, personnel from competitors); to raid (a competitor for its talent); Taiw…
挖泥船	wā ní chuán	dredger
挖墙脚	wā qiáng jiǎo	to undermine; to let someone down; to seduce someone away from something
耳挖	ěr wā	earpick; curette
挖苦	wā kǔ	to speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks; also pr. [wa1 ku5]
深挖	shēn wā	to dredge
挖肉补疮	wā ròu bǔ chuāng	to cut one's flesh to cover a sore (idiom); faced with a current crisis, to make it worse …
数据挖掘	shù jù wā jué	data mining
挖洞	wā dòng	to dig a hole
挖掉	wā diào	to dig out; to eradicate
挖矿	wā kuàng	to mine ore or minerals; (computing) to mine cryptocurrency