琢磨

zuómo

verb HSK 7-9 #7,481

Meanings

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.

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