删除(shān chú) - to delete, to remove in Mandarin

删除 (shānchú) means "to delete" or "to remove", the word behind every "Delete" button you will meet in Chinese software. 删 (shān) on its own already means "to cut, to delete" (as in editing a manuscript), and 除 (chú) means "to remove, to get rid of", so the two characters reinforce each other.

It applies just as naturally to digital files as to text on paper: 删除文件 (shānchú wénjiàn, delete a file) and 删除这句话 (shānchú zhè jù huà, delete this sentence) both use the same verb.

The tones move from flat to rising, 删 (shān) a level first tone and 除 (chú) a rising second tone. Keep 除 (chú) distinct from the falling fourth tone of 处 (chù, place), which looks similar in pinyin without tone marks but sounds and means something quite different.