调焦 (tiáo jiāo) — to focus (a camera, lens, telescope, etc.)

Definition

Verb meaning 'to focus' a camera, lens, or telescope — adjusting the lens so the image is sharp. The first 调 here means 'adjust', the same verb in 调节.

verb
to focus (a camera, lens, telescope, etc.)

Examples

  • 调焦，。
    Pāi zhào zhī qián yào tiáo jiāo, bù rán zhào piàn huì mó hu.
    Before taking a photo, you need to focus, otherwise the picture will be blurry.
  • ，。
    Wǒ tiáo le hǎo jǐ cì jiāo, cái bǎ huà miàn biàn qīng chǔ.
    I adjusted the focus several times before the image became clear.
  • 调焦，。
    Zhè tái xiàng jī kě yǐ zì dòng tiáo jiāo, hěn fāng biàn.
    This camera can autofocus, which is very convenient.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

调tiáoadjust
焦jiāofocal point

调 means adjust, and 焦 names the focal point; together they describe setting a camera or lens.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
小
小xiǎo焦jiāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 焦 glyph first paired 隹 (bird) with 小 as a sound part. The 小 part later changed into a fire shape, and the character was then used for scorching.

Open 焦 →

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