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交错 (jiāo cuò) — to interlock; to crisscross; to be staggered (in time or order)

Definition

Verb meaning to interlock or crisscross in space, or to stagger in time. Used in written/formal contexts for patterns, lines, schedules, or events that interweave or alternate.

verb
to interlockto crisscrossto be staggered (in time or order)

Examples

  • 交错。
    Tā de shuāng shǒu shí zhǐ jiāo cuò fàng zài zhuō shàng.
    She placed her hands on the table with fingers interlaced.
  • 交错。
    Zhè lǐ de tiě lù hé gōng lù jiāo cuò chéng yí gè fù zá de wǎng luò.
    The railways and highways here crisscross into a complex network.
  • ，交错。
    Wèi le bì kāi gāo fēng, gōng sī shí xíng le jiāo cuò shàng xià bān zhì dù.
    To avoid rush hour, the company implemented a staggered work schedule.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

交jiāocrossing
错cuòinterlacing

交错 joins 交 (crossing) and 错 (interlacing) to describe things crossing one another.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 錯; 错 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
昔
昔xī錯cuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錯 pairs 金 (metal) with 昔 as a sound part; the simplified 错 is a later abbreviation.

Open 错 →
Appears in
Order & Arrangement

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