(diào) — to fish (with a hook and line); to angle

Definition

verb
to fish (with a hook and line)to angle

Examples

  • Tā xǐ huan zài hé biān diào yú.
    He likes to fish by the river.
  • Zuó tiān wǒ diào le yì tiáo dà yú.
    Yesterday I caught a big fish.
  • Tā men qù hǎi biān diào yú le.
    They went to the seaside to fish.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 釣; 钓 is its simplified writing.

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

The traditional form 釣 uses 金 for metal and 勺 for its sound; the simplified 钓 is a later shorthand.

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