裁

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to cut out (as a dress); to cut; to trim; to reduce; to diminish; to cut back (e.g. on staff); decision; judgment

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Formation & memory

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Ideographic compound (会意字)

To cut 戈 cloth 衣

Components 十戈衣

tailor · Heisig RSH #401

衣 clothing + Thanksgiving

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

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

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
看菜吃饭，量体裁衣	kàn cài chī fàn , liàng tǐ cái yī	lit. to eat depending on the dish, cut cloth according to the body (idiom); fig. to act ac…
别出心裁	bié chū xīn cái	to hit on sth new (idiom); to display originality; to adopt an original approach
相体裁衣	xiàng tǐ cái yī	lit. tailor the clothes to fit the body (idiom); fig. act according to real circumstances
独出心裁	dú chū xīn cái	to display originality (idiom); to do things differently
量体裁衣	liàng tǐ cái yī	(lit.) to cut cloth according to the body (idiom); (fig.) to act according to actual circu…
经济制裁	jīng jì zhì cái	economic sanctions
法律制裁	fǎ lǜ zhì cái	legal sanction; prescribed punishment; punishable by law
核裁军	hé cái jūn	nuclear disarmament
裁纸机	cái zhǐ jī	trimmer; paper cutter
独裁者	dú cái zhě	dictator; autocrat
法院裁决	fǎ yuàn cái jué	court ruling
裁人	cái rén	to cut staff; to lay off employees
自裁	zì cái	(literary) to kill oneself; to commit suicide
体裁	tǐ cái	genre; style; form of writing
主裁	zhǔ cái	(sports) to referee; to umpire; to officiate; referee; umpire (abbr. for 主裁判[zhu3 cai2 pan…
裁定	cái dìng	ruling
制裁	zhì cái	to punish; punishment; sanctions (incl. economic)
裁制	cái zhì	to tailor; to make clothes
裁度	cái duó	(formal) to make a judgement call; to decide
裁员	cái yuán	to cut staff; to lay off employees