(qiáo) — (bound form) tall, lofty; (bound form) used in 乔装 (to disguise)

Definition

乔 is a bound morpheme meaning 'tall, lofty' — almost never stands alone. It appears in set words like 乔木 (arbor/large tree) and 乔装 (to disguise), where it adds a sense of height or grandness.

bound form
tallloftyused in 乔装 (to disguise)

Examples

  • Zhè zhòng shù shì cháng jiàn de qiáo mù.
    This kind of tree is a common arbor.
  • Tā qiáo zhuāng dǎ bàn, méi rén rèn chū tā lái.
    He disguised himself, so no one recognized him.
  • Zhù hè nǐ qiáo qiān xīn jū!
    Congratulations on your move to a new home!

Origin

Indicative sign
六书liùshū
指事zhǐshì

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 喬; 乔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 喬 was built by adding a distinguishing mark to an older character for 'tall'; the simplified 乔 is just a later shorthand.

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