鑿

Noun: A chisel.

Verb (Physical): To bore, carve, or pierce a hard surface; to breach an obstacle (such as a wall or mountain pass) to create a path.

Verb (Abstract): To elucidate or "bore through" dense language to clarify a point; alternatively, to force or strain an interpretation of a text.

Functions primarily as a transitive verb or a noun. As a modifier, it describes actions characterized by the precision or violence associated with chiseling.

Unlike 穿 (chuān), which refers to general piercing or passing through (e.g., a needle through cloth), 鑿 implies hard material and heavy labor. Unlike 鑽 (zuān), which specifically implies rotation or drilling, 鑿 is characterized by the strike and the split.

Simplified variant: 凿 (U+51FF). Tang-period reading: dzhɑk.

In philosophical or commentary contexts, the translator should determine whether an abstract usage of "boring through" a text is intended as praise for rigorous analysis or a critique of a forced interpretation.