# 切磋琢磨
## Chinese

| | | to cut and polish; to compare notes; to learn from each other | to carve and polish; to polish and refine a literary work |
| trad. (切磋琢磨) | trad. (切磋琢磨) | 切磋 | 琢磨 |
| simp. $^#$(切磋琢磨) | simp. $^#$(切磋琢磨) | 切磋 | 琢磨 |
| alternative forms | alternative forms | 切瑳琢磨 | 切瑳琢磨 |

### Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 55 (《詩經·衞風·淇奧》):
    瞻彼淇奧，綠竹猗猗。 有匪君子，如切如磋，如琢如磨。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]瞻彼淇奥，绿竹猗猗。 有匪君子，如切如磋，如琢如磨。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's versionZhān bǐ Qí yù, lǜ zhú yīyī. Yǒu fěi jūnzǐ, rú qiē rú cuō, rú zhuó rú mó. [Pinyin]Look at those recesses in the banks of the Qi [river], with their green bamboos, so fresh and luxuriant! There is our elegant and accomplished prince, as from the knife and the file, as from the chisel and the polisher!

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): qiēcuōzhuómó
    (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄝ ㄘㄨㄛ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄇㄛˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): cit$^3$ co$^1$ doek$^3$ mo$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qiēcuōzhuómó
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄝ ㄘㄨㄛ ㄓㄨㄛˊ ㄇㄛˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: ciecuojhuómó
*** Wade–Giles: chʻieh$^1$-tsʻo$^1$-cho$^2$-mo$^2$
*** Yale: chyē-tswō-jwó-mwó
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chietsuojwomo
*** Palladius: цецочжомо (cecočžomo)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ³⁵ mu̯ɔ³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: cit$^3$ co$^1$ doek$^3$ mo$^4$
*** Yale: chit chō deuk mòh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tsit$^8$ tso$^1$ doek$^8$ mo$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: qid$^3$ co$^1$ dêg$^3$ mo$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰiːt̚³ t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵ tœːk̚³ mɔː²¹/

### Idiom

切磋琢磨
* (original meaning) to carve and polish (bones, horns, ivory and jade)
* (figurative) to learn by exchanging ideas and experiences; friendly competition; improvement by learning from others

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 切 | 磋 | 琢 | 磨 |
| せつ > せっ Grade: 2 | さ Hyōgai | たく Jinmeiyō | ま Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||||
* Alternative spelling
* 切磋琢磨 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 切磋琢磨.

### Noun

切(せっ)磋(さ)琢(たく)磨(ま) • (sessatakuma)
* applying oneself and studying hard to cultivate oneself
* friendly competition, improving oneself by learning from others

### Verb

切(せっ)磋(さ)琢(たく)磨(ま)する • (sessatakuma suru) suru (stem 切(せっ)磋(さ)琢(たく)磨(ま)し (sessatakuma shi), past 切(せっ)磋(さ)琢(たく)磨(ま)した (sessatakuma shita))
* apply oneself and study hard to improve oneself
* try to improve by learning from others

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 切磋琢磨し | せっさたくまし | sessatakuma shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 切磋琢磨し | せっさたくまし | sessatakuma shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 切磋琢磨する | せっさたくまする | sessatakuma suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 切磋琢磨する | せっさたくまする | sessatakuma suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 切磋琢磨すれ | せっさたくますれ | sessatakuma sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 切磋琢磨せよ¹ 切磋琢磨しろ² | せっさたくませよ¹ せっさたくましろ² | sessatakuma seyo¹ sessatakuma shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 切磋琢磨される | せっさたくまされる | sessatakuma sareru |
| Causative | 切磋琢磨させる 切磋琢磨さす | せっさたくまさせる せっさたくまさす | sessatakuma saseru sessatakuma sasu |
| Potential | 切磋琢磨できる | せっさたくまできる | sessatakuma dekiru |
| Volitional | 切磋琢磨しよう | せっさたくましよう | sessatakuma shiyō |
| Negative | 切磋琢磨しない | せっさたくましない | sessatakuma shinai |
| Negative continuative | 切磋琢磨せず | せっさたくませず | sessatakuma sezu |
| Formal | 切磋琢磨します | せっさたくまします | sessatakuma shimasu |
| Perfective | 切磋琢磨した | せっさたくました | sessatakuma shita |
| Conjunctive | 切磋琢磨して | せっさたくまして | sessatakuma shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 切磋琢磨すれば | せっさたくますれば | sessatakuma sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||

### References

* The Kōjien (広辞苑) Dictionary of the Japanese Language, 5th edition, Iwanami Shoten Publishing, Tokyo.