‘勾销’ is a verb meaning to cancel, write off, or formally remove something—especially debts, records, obligations, or entries in accounts. The character 勾 (gōu) originally means 'to check off' or 'to mark with a tick,' while 销 (xiāo) means 'to cancel,' 'to eliminate,' or 'to dissolve.' Together, they evoke the physical act of marking an item and then removing it from consideration—like checking a box next to a debt and striking it from the ledger. It carries a sense of official finality and is often used in formal, administrative, or financial contexts.

This term appears frequently in banking, accounting, legal documents, and business communication. While it can occasionally be used metaphorically (e.g., ‘勾销一段关系’), such usage is rare and stylistically marked; learners should treat it primarily as a formal, transactional verb—not for casual cancellation like deleting a text message or skipping an appointment.