qùdiào: 去掉 - To Remove, Get Rid Of, Eliminate

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• Summary: Learn how to use “去掉” (qùdiào), a fundamental Chinese verb that means “to remove,” “get rid of,” or “eliminate.” This guide covers its meaning, character breakdown, and practical usage in everyday life, from ordering food without a certain ingredient to deleting a digital file or getting rid of a bad habit. It's an essential, versatile word for any beginner learning Mandarin Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qùdiào
• Part of Speech: Verb (Resultative Verb Compound)
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: To remove, get rid of, or eliminate something.
• In a Nutshell: “去掉” is your go-to verb for taking something away from a larger whole. It's a direct and powerful word formed by combining “to go” (去) and a result complement “away/off” (掉). Think of it as making something “go away.” Whether you're removing an unwanted ingredient, deleting a photo, or eliminating a doubt, 去掉 gets the job done.

• 去 (qù): The core meaning is “to go,” “to leave,” or “to depart.” Pictorially, it's thought to have originated from an image of a person leaving a dwelling. In this compound, it provides the action of making something go.
• 掉 (diào): This character often means “to fall” or “to drop.” In grammar, it's frequently used as a “result complement,” indicating that an action has been successfully completed, often with a sense of finality, removal, or finishing something off.
• When combined, 去掉 (qùdiào) literally means “to go-away” or “to make-go-and-fall-off.” The `去` provides the direction of removal, and the `掉` confirms the result that it is now gone.

While 去掉 doesn't carry deep philosophical weight like terms such as 关系 (guānxi), its structure reveals a core feature of the Chinese language: resultative verb compounds. Unlike English, where we might use a separate preposition or adverb (e.g., “wipe away,” “take off”), Chinese often combines two verbs. The first verb is the action (去 - to make go), and the second is the result (掉 - away/off). Understanding this structure (Action + Result) is a key milestone for learners. Culturally, the directness of 去掉 is noteworthy. In English, one might soften a request: “Could you possibly make this without onions?” In a Chinese restaurant, saying “请去掉洋葱 (qǐng qùdiào yángcōng)“—”Please remove the onions”—is perfectly polite and standard. This reflects a communication style that can be very direct and efficient when it comes to actions and results, without being considered rude.

去掉 is an extremely common and versatile verb used in numerous modern contexts.

• In Daily Life (Physical Removal): This is the most common usage. It's used when asking to remove an ingredient from food, taking a stain off clothing, or removing an object from a surface.
  • “I don't eat spicy food, please remove the chili peppers.”
  • “Can you help me get this coffee stain out of my shirt?”
• In the Digital World (Deleting): With technology, 去掉 is frequently used for deleting files, text, photos, or contacts from a device.
  • “I'm going to remove all the old photos from my phone.”
  • “Please delete the last sentence of this paragraph.”
• In Abstract Situations (Eliminating): It can also be used for non-physical things, like getting rid of bad habits, eliminating concerns, or removing a possibility.
  • “I am determined to get rid of my habit of procrastinating.”
  • “His explanation removed the doubts in my mind.”

Its formality is neutral, making it appropriate for both casual conversation with friends and more formal written instructions.

• Example 1:
  • 我不吃葱，麻烦你做菜的时候去掉。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bù chī cōng, máfan nǐ zuò cài de shíhou qùdiào.
  • English: I don't eat green onions, could I trouble you to remove them when you cook the dish?
  • Analysis: A classic and very useful example of ordering food in a restaurant. It's polite and direct.
• Example 2:
  • 你能帮我把这个价格标签去掉吗？它粘得太紧了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ néng bāng wǒ bǎ zhège jiàgé biāoqiān qùdiào ma? Tā zhān de tài jǐn le.
  • English: Can you help me remove this price tag? It's stuck on too tightly.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses the common `把 (bǎ)` structure, which brings the object (the price tag) before the verb. `把 + Object + 去掉` is a very common pattern.
• Example 3:
  • 为了让照片更好看，我用软件去掉了背景。
  • Pinyin: Wèile ràng zhàopiàn gèng hǎokàn, wǒ yòng ruǎnjiàn qùdiàole bèijǐng.
  • English: To make the photo look better, I used software to remove the background.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of digital usage. It shows how 去掉 applies to editing and technology.
• Example 4:
  • 老师说我的作文太长，需要去掉一些不重要的部分。
  • Pinyin: Lǎoshī shuō wǒ de zuòwén tài cháng, xūyào qùdiào yīxiē bù zhòngyào de bùfèn.
  • English: The teacher said my essay is too long and I need to remove some unimportant parts.
  • Analysis: Here, 去掉 refers to removing text or content, similar to “edit out” or “cut.”
• Example 5:
  • 他终于下定决心去掉抽烟的坏习惯。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhōngyú xiàdìng juéxīn qùdiào chōuyān de huài xíguàn.
  • English: He finally made up his mind to get rid of his bad habit of smoking.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the abstract usage of 去掉, applying it to a habit.
• Example 6:
  • 这道数学题，我们可以先去掉最高分和最低分，然后算平均值。
  • Pinyin: Zhè dào shùxué tí, wǒmen kěyǐ xiān qùdiào zuì gāo fēn hé zuì dī fēn, ránhòu suàn píngjūnzhí.
  • English: For this math problem, we can first remove the highest and lowest scores, and then calculate the average.
  • Analysis: Shows usage in a logical or procedural context, meaning “to exclude” or “eliminate” data.
• Example 7:
  • 请把我的名字从候补名单上去掉，我找到别的工作了。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng bǎ wǒ de míngzì cóng hòubǔ míngdān shàng qùdiào, wǒ zhǎodào bié de gōngzuò le.
  • English: Please remove my name from the waiting list, I've found another job.
  • Analysis: Another practical example using the `把` structure, this time for removing a name from a list.
• Example 8:
  • 经过讨论，我们决定去掉计划中的第三个方案。
  • Pinyin: Jīngguò tǎolùn, wǒmen juédìng qùdiào jìhuà zhōng de dì sān ge fāng'àn.
  • English: After discussion, we decided to eliminate the third option from the plan.
  • Analysis: Used in a business or planning context to mean “to drop” or “discard” an option.
• Example 9:
  • 你最好把这些过期的食物去掉，免得吃坏肚子。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ zuìhǎo bǎ zhèxiē guòqī de shíwù qùdiào, miǎndé chī huài dùzi.
  • English: You had better get rid of this expired food to avoid getting a stomachache.
  • Analysis: Here, 去掉 strongly implies throwing something away because it's no longer useful or is potentially harmful.
• Example 10:
  • 他的回答去掉了我所有的疑虑。
  • Pinyin: Tā de huídá qùdiàole wǒ suǒyǒu de yílǜ.
  • English: His answer removed all my doubts.
  • Analysis: A powerful abstract use, showing how an action (answering) can eliminate something intangible like doubt.

A common point of confusion for learners is choosing between 去掉 and similar-sounding words.

• 去掉 (qùdiào) vs. 删除 (shānchú):
  • 去掉 is broad: it can be used for physical objects, digital data, and abstract concepts.
  • 删除 is specific: it almost exclusively means “to delete” in a digital or textual context (e.g., delete a file, a character, a record, a social media post).
  • Common Mistake: Saying `我要删除衣服上的污渍 (wǒ yào shānchú yīfu shàng de wūzì)`. This is incorrect. You cannot “delete” a physical stain. The correct sentence is `我要去掉衣服上的污渍`.
• 去掉 (qùdiào) vs. 拿走 (názǒu):
  • 去掉 means to remove or eliminate. The object might be thrown away, destroyed, or simply cease to be part of the whole. The focus is on its absence.
  • 拿走 means “to take away” or “carry away.” It implies someone physically picks up an object and moves it to another location.
  • Example: You ask a waiter to 拿走 the empty plates (take them to the kitchen), but you ask the chef to 去掉 the onions from your dish (so they are never part of it).

• 删除 (shānchú) - A more specific synonym for “to delete” digital files, text, or data entries.
• 消除 (xiāochú) - A more formal verb for eliminating abstract things like danger, misunderstanding, or stress.
• 除掉 (chúdiào) - Similar to 去掉, but can carry a stronger connotation of exterminating or getting rid of something negative or harmful, like pests, weeds, or enemies.
• 拿走 (názǒu) - To physically take an object and carry it away. Focuses on relocation, not elimination.
• 摆脱 (bǎituō) - To break free from, shake off, or get rid of something that is constraining or bothering you, like a bad habit, a difficult situation, or an annoying person.
• 取消 (qǔxiāo) - To cancel an appointment, a flight, an order, or a plan.
• 弄掉 (nòngdiào) - A colloquial term for getting something off, often implying some effort or a bit of a mess. “I finally nòngdiào the gum from my shoe.”
• 减去 (jiǎnqù) - To subtract, used specifically in mathematics and for weight loss.