HanziGuru.翹 · qiáo
翹
qiáo[qiao2]Tone 2

to raise, outstanding

HSK 7
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翘
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · to raise, outstanding

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left component (羽) is narrow and stacked vertically, while the right component (堯) is broader and taller, requiring careful proportioning so the character does not lean too far to the right.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 翹 simplifies the top of the right component and streamlines the structure while keeping the feather radical 羽 on the left.
1. Meaning

to raise; to lift; to tilt upward

outstandingeminentlonging for
Verb, AdjectiveFormal / Literary (common in idioms)#body movement#position#abstract quality
Sample Usage
  • 翘 尾巴
    qiáo wěiba
    to become cocky / to be full of oneself (literally: to cock the tail)
  • 翘 首 企盼
    qiáo shǒu qǐpàn
    to wait in eager anticipation (literally: raising one's head to look forward)
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
翹
qiáoqiao2
++
´(35)
=qiáo
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
qiao
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
q
Type: Aspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: ch sound like in 'cheese', produced with blade of tongue against the hard palate
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Extremely strong burst of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST fly.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Flat blade of tongue approaches the hard palate with strong friction and a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
iao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'ow' in 'meow'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: Starts with a high front vowel glide 'i' leading into the open vowel 'a' and ending with 'o'.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from a middle pitch to a high pitch, exactly like asking a surprised question in English such as 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3, qiáo shifts to a rising tone around 35, but maintains its core upward contour.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse 'qiáo' (Tone 2) with 'qiào' (Tone 4), which means steep or clever.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Make a sweeping hand motion starting low-middle and rising sharply upward to the right, matching the 35 rising pitch curve.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (羽) is narrow and stacked vertically, while the right component (堯) is broader and taller, requiring careful proportioning so the character does not lean too far to the right.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 翹 simplifies the top of the right component and streamlines the structure while keeping the feather radical 羽 on the left.

4. Components

Radical 羽 · Feather Radical (Feather, bird wings)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 羽 (Indicates something light, soaring, or lifting up into the air like feathers.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 堯 (original sound: yáo / qiáo)

Feathers (羽) rising high into the sky under the guidance of the high ancient sage figure (堯) gives the idea of lifting up or being outstanding.

  • 羽 Feathers on the left side
  • 堯 Tall and high component on the right side
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the feather (羽) semantic element with the phonetic sound clue (堯), representing feathers or tails tilting upward.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical image of bird feathers or animal tails sticking up or bending upward, it extended to mean raising things, and metaphorically to being outstanding or eminent.

  • Often used in classical literature to describe raising the head or neck to look into the distance.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
kiều
Corresponds to the Vietnamese hỏi or sắc tone depending on historical reading layers, rendered as kiều.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ギョウ (gyō), キョウ (kyō) / Kun: あが.る (agaru), たかい (takai)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
교
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a bird with fluffy **feathers (羽)** that is so **tall and high (堯)** that its tail is **raised (qiáo)** up into the clouds, looking completely **outstanding (qiáo)**!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
堯
Phonetic Core (声旁)
僥
+ 亻 (person)
嬈
+ 女 (woman)
撓
+ 扌 (hand)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
桥(qiáo)
Has the wood radical (木) instead of feathers (羽), meaning a wooden bridge.
乔(qiáo)
A simplified component base meaning tall, without the feather radical.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他高興得尾巴都快要[___]起來了。
Clue: qiáo
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing '翘' (qiáo - to raise) with '桥' (qiáo - bridge) because they share the exact same sound and tone.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the feather radical next to the tall phonetic component in 翘, what does it mean?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to raise' or 'outstanding' with Pinyin qiáo?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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