HanziGuru.雕 · diāo
雕
diāo[diao1]Tone 1

to carve, engrave, eagle, vulture

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

English · to carve, engrave, eagle, vulture

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:16
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (zhui radical for short-tailed birds) and right side must be balanced proportionally; keep vertical strokes straight and avoid overlapping the central dividing space.
1. Meaning

to carve or engrave

eagle or bird of preyshrewd or crafty (archaic)
Verb / NounNeutral / Literary#art#crafts#animals#nature
Sample Usage
  • 这块石头雕得很精致。
    zhè kuài shítou diāo de hěn jīngzhì.
    This piece of stone is carved very delicately.
  • 天上有一只雄鹰在盘旋。
    tiānshang yǒu yì zhī xióngyīng zài pánxuán.
    An eagle is circling in the sky. (Note: Often combined as diāoxiàng for sculpture or diāokè for carving).
2. Sound
/[ti̯ao⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
雕
diāodiao1
++
¯(55)
=diāo
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
diao
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
d
Type: Unaspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: English d sound
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 a voiced stop without a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
iao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: Rhymes with 'ee-ow' combined into a single swift triphthong glide
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, like singing a sustained high note on the musical scale without any rising or falling contour.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the initial d- with t- or mistaking the -iao final for -ou or -ao due to fast native blending.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A level flat hand motion held high in the air, matching the steady 55 high-level pitch.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 16 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (zhui radical for short-tailed birds) and right side must be balanced proportionally; keep vertical strokes straight and avoid overlapping the central dividing space.

4. Components

Radical 隹 · Short-tailed bird radical (small bird)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 隹 (Indicates birds of prey or ancient bird associations)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 周 (original sound: zhōu / diāo phonetic shift lineage)

The character combines the phonetic component 周 (zhōu) on the left/top with 隹 (zhuī, short-tailed bird) on the right, evolving from an original representation of carving bird shapes or a specific raptor.

  • 周 Provides the sound clue diāo
  • 隹 Provides the bird / structural category meaning
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted a bird of prey (eagle/vulture). Over time, the character was borrowed for its sound to mean 'to carve' or 'engrave' (originally done on bone or jade), while a separate character evolved for the bird itself.

Semantic Evolution: From an original picture of a fierce bird, it shifted phonetically to represent intricate carving crafts, eventually returning to compound words like 雄鹰 (xiónɡyīnɡ) for eagles while retaining 雕 for sculpture and engraving.

  • Ancient Chinese artisans used jade and bone carving, making the bird association fitting for sharp, precise work.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
điêu
High level or flat tone corresponding to ancient entering/level categories.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: チョウ (chō) / Kun: e.g. 彫る (horu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
조
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian cultural vocabulary root diêu / chō / cho referring to carving and engraving.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a skilled artisan working around the clock (周) to carefully carve a majestic eagle (隹) out of a solid block of jade.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
周
zhōuZhou / cycle / all overPhonetic Core (声旁)
调
diàotune, melody, transfer, tone+ 讠 (speech)
稠
chóudense+ 禾 (grain)
绸
chóu(light) silk+ 纟 (silk)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
周(zhōu)
周 means circumference or week without the bird radical (隹) attached.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这座雕像是由一块汉白玉[___]出来的。
Clue: diāo
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 雕 (diāo, carve) with 周 (zhōu, week/all around) because they share the same phonetic root component.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the complex 16-stroke character 雕 with the bird radical on the right, what does it mean?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to carve' (diāo) combining the phonetic part and the bird radical?
Real-World Video Context

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

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

雕diāoto carve, engrave, eagle, vulture
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube