TongTong
Sign in

骄子 (jiāo zǐ) — (figurative) a child who is the pride of the family; favorite son/daughter; (historical/literary) someone favored by Heaven; one of exceptional talent or destiny

Definition

A literary/figurative word for 'pride' (as in 'the pride of…'). Almost always appears in set phrases like 天之骄子 or 是…的骄子 — rarely used alone in everyday speech.

noun
(figurative) a child who is the pride of the familyfavorite son/daughter(historical/literary) someone favored by Heavenone of exceptional talent or destiny
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 骄子，。
    Tā shì fù mǔ de jiāo zǐ, cóng xiǎo jiù tè bié yōu xiù.
    He is the pride of his parents, exceptionally outstanding since childhood.
  • ，。
    Tā cháng bèi chēng zuò tiān zhī jiāo zǐ, jiān fù zhe zhòng yào de shǐ mìng.
    He is often called the chosen one of Heaven, shouldering an important mission.
  • 骄子，。
    Tā shì shāng yè jiè de jiāo zǐ, nián jì qīng qīng jiù qǔ dé le jù dà chéng gōng.
    He is the pride of the business world, achieving great success at a young age.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

骄jiāoproud
子zǐchild

“骄” proud or exceptional, “子” child; together refer to a child who is a source of pride.

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 驕; 骄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo驕jiāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 驕 pairs 馬 (horse) with 喬 for the sound; the simplified 骄 is a later shorthand.

Open 骄 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.