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

bird of prey, eagle

HSK 7
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雕
Guru Deep Dive

English · bird of prey, eagle

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:16
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (雝 without the bird base, or more accurately 𠂹 and components) and right side (周) must be balanced tightly so the character does not look disjointed. Keep vertical strokes straight and horizontal strokes compact.
Simplification Logic: The character 雕 (diāo) has 周 on the left (phonetic) and the short-tailed bird radical 隹 (zhuī, semantic) on the right; the traditional variant 鵰 placed 鳥 on the right instead of 隹.
1. Meaning

bird of prey, eagle

to carve, to engrave (interchangeable with 彫)
NounFormal / Literary#animals#birds#crafts
Sample Usage
  • 山 顶 上 飞 过 一 只 雄 雕 。
    shān dǐng shàng fēi guò yī zhī xióng diāo .
    A male eagle flew over the mountain peak.
  • 这 座 雕 像 是 用 石 头 做 的 。
    zhè zuò diāo xiàng shì yòng shí tou zuò de .
    This statue is made of stone.
2. Sound
/[ti̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
鵰
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: d sound in 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 right behind the upper front teeth, releasing cleanly without an extra puff of air.
Final Rhyme
iao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -iao 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.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high level pitch (55), comparable to singing a high musical note evenly.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with the second tone diáo (rising) or fourth tone diào (falling). Tone 1 stays completely flat at the top of your vocal range.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady horizontal line, like a singer holding a high note perfectly flat without wavering.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 16 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (雝 without the bird base, or more accurately 𠂹 and components) and right side (周) must be balanced tightly so the character does not look disjointed. Keep vertical strokes straight and horizontal strokes compact.

Simplification Logic: The character 雕 (diāo) has 周 on the left (phonetic) and the short-tailed bird radical 隹 (zhuī, semantic) on the right; the traditional variant 鵰 placed 鳥 on the right instead of 隹.

4. Components

Radical 隹 · Short-tailed bird radical (bird)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 隹 (Indicates that the character refers to a bird species.)

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

A majestic bird (隹) soaring around (周) the mountain peaks like a master hunter.

  • 𠂹 Top decorative strokes
  • 周 Provides the phonetic sound
  • 隹 Semantic bird radical
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the bird indicator (隹) and a phonetic sound element (周) to designate large, powerful raptors.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to eagles and large birds of prey. Over time, it also became phonetically borrowed for 'to carve or engrave' (now often written as 彫).

  • Eagles and birds of prey were often used in ancient Chinese poetry as symbols of sharp vision and military might.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
điêu
The Mandarin Tone 1 high level maps closely to a smooth, level register in Sino-Vietnamese readings.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: チョウ (chō) / Kun: くまたか (kumataka)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
조
Sound Shift Bridge: The -iao ending corresponds across East Asian literary borrowings, showing consistent phonetic preservation.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a giant **eagles** (雕) flying **around** (周) the sky looking down with sharp **bird** (隹) eyes.

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 'around/cycle' and lacks the bird radical component found at the bottom or side of 雕.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
天 空 中 有 一 只 雄 [___] 在 盤 旋 。
Clue: diāo
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the high level Tone 1 (diāo) with the fourth tone (diào, as in 雕像 diàoxiàng meaning statue/carving).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 雕, what animal does it represent and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for a bird of prey (eagle) with pinyin diāo?
Real-World Video Context

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

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