吊 (diào) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

吊

diào[diao4]Tone 4

to suspend, to hang

HSK 6

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to suspend, to hang

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:5

Writing Balance Rule: The top component '口' must sit compactly and centrally over the bottom component '冖' and vertical drops, ensuring vertical symmetry.

1. Meaning

to suspend or hang up

to hang a person (execution)to revoke or suspend a licenseto fetch or draw water from a well

VerbNeutral#action#punishment#bureaucracy

Sample Usage

把灯笼吊起来。
bǎ dēnglong diào qǐlái.
Hang up the lantern.
他的驾照被吊销了。
tā de jiàzhào bèi diàoxiāole.
His driver's license was revoked.

2. Sound

/[ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

吊

diàodiao4

`(51)

=diào

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: d sound in English dog

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing crisply.

Final Rhyme

iao

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -iao rhymes with meow

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, identical to saying 'No!' or 'Stop!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the falling Tone 4 with Tone 3 (diǎo vs diǎo/diào), ensuring the pitch drops decisively from high to low without dipping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A swift, sharp chop downward with your hand, mirroring a guillotine or dropping anchor.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component '口' must sit compactly and centrally over the bottom component '冖' and vertical drops, ensuring vertical symmetry.

4. Components

Radical 口 · Mouth Radical (mouth, opening)

A mouth (口) or container suspended under a cover or roof structure (冖), with a hanging element below.

口 Mouth / opening
冖 Cover / roof

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 吊 (diào)

5. History

Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted a person or object suspended or wearing a heavy burden around the neck, evolving to represent hanging or suspension.

Semantic Evolution: From physically hanging objects or people to abstract suspensions like revoking licenses or drawing water.

Ancient scripts clearly showed a man suspended or carrying a heavy yoke.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a OPEN MOUTH (口) under a ROOF (冖) screaming in terror because they are being HANGING (吊) by their feet!

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

到(dào)

到 has the reaching/arriving knife/sword component (刂) on the right, whereas 吊 has a mouth under a cover.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

警察把 illegal 的驾驶证给___销了。

Clue: diào

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 吊 (diào) with 到 (dào) due to similar syllable sounds and structures.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 吊 mean when you see it in 吊销 (license revocation)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to suspend or hang' (diào) with 5 strokes?

吊diàoto suspend, to hang

Speed:

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