宰割

zǎigē

verb #29,089

Meanings

1 to slaughter
2 to ride roughshod over
3 to take advantage of
4 to dominate and exploit

Characters

to slaughter/to govern

to cut/to sever

Examples

我们不能任人宰割，必须维护自己的权益。

Wǒmen bù néng rèn rén zǎigē, bìxū wéihù zìjǐ de quányì.

We cannot allow ourselves to be exploited — we must defend our rights.

弱小的民族往往遭受强权的宰割。

Ruòxiǎo de mínzú wǎngwǎng zāoshòu qiángquán de zǎigē.

Weak nations often suffer domination and exploitation by powerful states.

Tips

usage

宰割 literally means 'to slaughter and cut up (an animal)' but is used figuratively to mean ruthless exploitation or dominance over a weaker party. The phrase 任人宰割 (to be at someone's mercy) is very common.

Stroke Order

宰 zǎi

割 gē