琢磨

zuómo

verb HSK 7-9 #7,481

Meanings

HSK 1

我琢磨了半天也没想明白。

Wǒ zuómo le bàntiān yě méi xiǎng míngbái.

I pondered it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

HSK 3

他总是琢磨怎么把工作做得更好。

Tā zǒngshì zuómo zěnme bǎ gōngzuò zuò de gèng hǎo.

He's always thinking about how to do his work better.

mistakes

琢磨 has two pronunciations: zuómo (to ponder, colloquial) and zhuómó (to polish/refine, literary). The HSK meaning is the colloquial zuómo.

memory

琢 (carve jade) + 磨 (polish) = turning and polishing an idea in your mind, like a jeweler perfecting a gem.

琢 zhuó

磨 mó