晓 (xiǎo) — (bound form) dawn, daybreak; (bound form) to know, to understand
Definition
As a bound morpheme, 晓 combines with 揭 (揭晓) for 'announce / be revealed' and with 破 (破晓) for 'daybreak'. The 'know' sense in 通晓 / 晓得 means a thorough grasp, stronger than 知道.
bound form
dawndaybreakto knowto understand
Examples
- 。Wǒ xiǎo de zhè jiàn shì de jīng guò.I know the details of this matter.
- 晓，。Tiān kuài xiǎo le, wǒ men chū fā ba.It's almost dawn, let's set off.
- 。Bǐ sài jié guǒ yǐ jīng jiē xiǎo le.The competition results have been announced.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 曉; 晓 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo曉xiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 曉 puts 日, a sun, beside 堯, which gives the sound; the simplified 晓 is a shorthand and its right side is not that sound part.
Appears in
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