卸 (xiè) is a Chinese character meaning “to unload”. It is written from 午 (noon) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)) and 止 (stop), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to unload”
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Structure
午 + 卩 + 止
Overlapping structure
Structure from: 说文解字：卸，舍車解馬也。从卪、止、午。现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画几何核验：第 1–4 笔构成完整的「午」，第 4–7 笔构成完整的「止」（竖笔为两者共用），第 8–9 笔为「卩」
Memory aid
Noon (午) on the road: the cart stops (止), the driver kneels down (卩) beside it — time to unhitch the horse and unload.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 卸货xiè huòto unload cargo卸 = xiè
- 装卸zhuāng xièto load and unload卸 = xiè
Go deeper
All readings
to unload
to unload; to unhitch (a horse from a cart); to take off or remove; to lay down (a duty or post)
把东西从车、船等运输工具上搬下来；解下、去掉；解除（职务、责任）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 卸货xiè huòto unload cargo卸 = xiè
- 装卸zhuāng xièto load and unload卸 = xiè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 卸 mean?
卸 (xiè) means to unload; to unhitch (a horse from a cart); to take off or remove; to lay down (a duty or post).
How do you pronounce 卸?
It is pronounced xiè.
What parts is 卸 made of?
午 (noon) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)) and 止 (stop). The recorded source is: 说文解字：卸，舍車解馬也。从卪、止、午。现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画几何核验：第 1–4 笔构成完整的「午」，第 4–7 笔构成完整的「止」（竖笔为两者共用），第 8–9 笔为「卩」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 卸 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 卸?
卜. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 卸?
Common ones are 卸货 and 装卸. The reading of 卸 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.