‘摘录’ (zhāi lù) is a verb meaning ‘to excerpt’ or ‘to quote’—specifically, to selectively copy out passages from a longer text for reference, study, or citation. The character 摘 (zhāi) means ‘to pick’ or ‘to select’, evoking the idea of carefully choosing something from a larger whole; 录 (lù) means ‘to record’ or ‘to write down’. Together, they convey the intentional act of selecting and transcribing meaningful fragments—not paraphrasing or summarizing, but copying verbatim. This word is commonly used in academic, journalistic, and literary contexts, especially when citing sources or compiling notes.

It often appears in formal or semi-formal registers, such as research papers, reading journals, or editorial work. While it can be used transitively (e.g., 摘录一段话), it’s rarely used without an object. Unlike casual synonyms like 抄 (chāo, ‘to copy’), 摘录 implies purposeful selection and intellectual engagement with the source material—not rote copying.