HanziGuru.銷 · xiāo
銷
xiāo[xiao1]Tone 1

to melt, to cancel, to sell, to spend

HSK 4
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销
Guru Deep Dive

English · to melt, to cancel, to sell, to spend

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) is narrower and compressed, while the right component (肖) is wider and taller, ensuring a well-balanced visual weight across the vertical center line.
Simplification Logic: The traditional component 銷 simplifies the metal radical from 金 to 钅 (standardized cursive-to-print abbreviation).
1. Meaning

to melt (metal); to cancel; to sell; to spend

pin; boltto fasten with a pin or bolt
VerbNeutral#metallurgy#commerce#administration
Sample Usage
  • 这家商店的商品很畅销。
    zhè jiā shāngdiàn de shāngpǐn hěn chàngxiāo.
    The commodities in this store sell very well.
  • 请帮我把这个合同销掉。
    qǐng bāng wǒ bǎ zhège hétong xiāodiào.
    Please help me cancel this contract.
2. Sound
/[ɕi̯aʊ̯˴⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
銷
xiāoxiao1
++
¯(55)
=xiāo
Initial Consonant
x
Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative
Sounds like: sh sound produced with the tongue blade near the roof of the mouth (similar to the 'h' in 'huge' or German 'ich')
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue blade is raised toward the hard palate, teeth nearly closed, air escapes smoothly without friction explosion.
Final Rhyme
iao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: ee-ow rhyme, sounds like 'ow' preceded by an 'ee' glide
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: iao is an open compound rhyme where the central vowel 'a' carries the primary sonority flanked by 'i' and 'o'.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Maintains a steady high pitch identical to singing a single note at the top of your normal speaking voice.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the soft palatal initial [ɕ] with the retroflex [ʂ] (sh) or dental [s]. Keep your tongue tip behind your lower front teeth for [ɕ].
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, level pitch held flat like a drone note at the top of your vocal range, accompanied by a level horizontal hand gesture.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) is narrower and compressed, while the right component (肖) is wider and taller, ensuring a well-balanced visual weight across the vertical center line.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 銷 simplifies the metal radical from 金 to 钅 (standardized cursive-to-print abbreviation).

4. Components

Radical 钅 · Metal Radical (Metal, gold, or metallic tools)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 钅 (Indicates the original metallic and smelting sense (melting metal).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 肖 (original sound: xiāo)

Metal (钅) meets likeness/resemblance (肖). Originally, pouring molten metal into a mold to create an exact likeness, which later extended to melting, cancelling, and selling.

  • 钅 Metal classifier/radical
  • 肖 Phonetic and semantic contributor implying matching or reshaping
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the metal radical (钅) representing metalworking and 肖 (xiāo) providing the pronunciation and the underlying notion of shaping or casting metals.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from literal metal melting and casting to broader concepts of destroying/cancelling (melting away), spending funds, and clearing stock in commerce.

  • Ancient bronze casting required melting ingots, which forms the physical root of the character's meaning.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ショウ / Kun: け.す / と.く
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
소
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take a chunk of raw METAL (钅) and feed it into a blazing fire to MELT it down until it matches the exact LIKENESS (肖) of a new coin, ready to be SPENT (xiāo) in the marketplace.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
消
xiāoto disappear, to eliminateWater radical (氵) + 肖: water melting away or evaporating.
硝
xiāosaltpeterStone radical (石) + 肖: mineral/stone saltpeter.
霄
xiāosky, cloudsRain radical (雨) + 肖: clouds high up in the sky.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
消(xiāo)
消 uses the water radical (氵) for elimination or disappearing, whereas 销 uses the metal radical (钅) for melting metal or commercial sales.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
這家公司的產品在海外非常暢[___]。
Clue: xiāo
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the metal radical 钅 with the water radical 氵, leading to mixing up 销 (sell/melt) with 消 (disappear/eliminate).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 销 mean when paired with the metal radical and 肖?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to sell / to melt' pronounced xiāo with a metal radical?
Real-World Video Context

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

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