撩拨 (liáo bō) — to tease and tantalize (playfully); to flirt; to provoke or stir up (emotions or actions)

Definition

Literary verb meaning to tease or provoke — playful flirtation, or deliberately stirring someone's emotions. Unlike 挑逗 (more specifically sexual teasing), 撩拨 covers both light flirtation and emotional provocation.

verb
to tease and tantalize (playfully)to flirtto provoke or stir up (emotions or actions)

Examples

  • ，撩拨。
    Tā qīng qīng yí xiào, xiàng shì zài liáo bō tā.
    She smiled lightly, as if teasing him.
  • 撩拨，。
    Zhè huà liáo bō le guān zhòng de qíng xù, xiàn chǎng yí piàn sāo dòng.
    These words stirred up the audience's emotions, causing a commotion on site.
  • 撩拨。
    Tā gù yì shuō zhè xiē huà lái liáo bō duì fāng de nù huǒ.
    He deliberately said these words to provoke the other person's anger.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

撩liáostir/tease
拨bōpoke/provoke

“撩” and “拨” both mean to stir or poke, so together they tease or provoke.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo撩liāo
Same sound today

撩 has 手 (hand) and 尞; 尞 gives it the pronunciation liáo.

Open 撩 →

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 撥; 拨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
發
發fā撥bō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 撥 combines 手 (hand) with 發, which gives the sound; the simplified 拨 is a different form.

Open 拨 →

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