| 刀 | dāo | knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass; CL:把; classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper); surname Dao |
| 不 | bù | (negative prefix); not; no |
| 磨 | mó | to rub; to grind; to polish; to sharpen; to wear down; to die out; to waste time; to pester; to insist |
| 磨 | mò | grindstone |
| 要 | yāo | to demand; to request; to coerce |
| 要 | yào | important; vital; to want; will; going to (as future auxiliary); may; must |
| 生 | shēng | to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; raw, uncooked |
| 锈 | xiù | to corrode; to rust |
| 人 | rén | man; person; people; CL:个,位 |
| 学 | xué | learn; study; science; -ology |
| 落 | là | to leave out; to be missing; to leave behind or forget to bring; to lag or fall behind |
| 落 | lào | alight; to fall; to drop (behind) |
| 落 | luò | to fall or drop; (of the sun) to set; (of a tide) to go out; to lower; to decline or sink; to lag or fall behind; to fall onto; to rest with; to get or receive; to write down; whereabouts; settlement |
| 落 | luō | |
| 后 | hòu | back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; empress; queen; surname Hou |
| 生锈 | shēng xiù | to rust; to grow rusty; to corrode; oxidization |
| 落后 | luò hòu | to fall behind; to lag (in technology etc); backward; to retrogress |
