宰

zǎi

verb HSK 7 #3,210

Meanings

1 to slaughter
2 to butcher
3 to rip off (colloquial)
4 to overcharge

Characters

to slaughter; to govern

Examples

农民在过年前宰了一头猪。

Nóngmín zài guònián qián zǎile yì tóu zhū.

The farmer slaughtered a pig before Chinese New Year.

那家饭店太黑了，把我们宰了一顿。

Nà jiā fàndiàn tài hēi le, bǎ wǒmen zǎile yí dùn.

That restaurant was a total rip-off — they overcharged us.

Tips

usage

In colloquial Chinese, 宰 means to rip someone off or overcharge. 宰客 (zǎikè) specifically means to gouge customers.

Stroke Order

宰 zǎi