Common Meanings
1
qiā掐
to pinch, nip, or pluck with the fingers or fingernails; to calculate by counting on fingers
她喜欢在春天的时候，掐几枝新鲜的花插在瓶子里。
She likes to pluck a few fresh flowers in spring and put them in a vase.
To cut off; to snip; to prune, especially used in the idiom '掐头去尾' (qiā tóu qù wěi) meaning to remove the superfluous parts or get straight to the point.
写文章要学会掐头去尾，突出重点。
When writing, you should learn to cut off the superfluous parts and highlight the main points.
To pinch, grip, or seize firmly with the hand, using the thumb and fingers.
她一把掐住了我的手腕。
She firmly gripped my wrist.
A measure word referring to the amount that can be held between one hand or the tips of two fingers, typically a small bunch or pinch.
她从园子里摘了一掐儿小花。
She picked a small bunch of flowers from the garden.