僚 (liáo) — (bound form) official; colleague (used in compounds like 官僚, 同僚)
Definition
僚 is a bound form meaning 'official' or 'colleague' — it almost never stands alone, appearing mostly in 官僚 (bureaucracy/official) and 同僚 (colleague, usually a peer in the same workplace).
bound form
officialcolleague (used in compounds like 官僚, 同僚)
Easily confused
- 撩liāolook-alike(bound form) to tease, to provoke
- 聊liáosound-aliketo chat
- 燎liáolook-aliketo singe, to burn slightly (hair, feathers, etc.)
- 疗liáosound-alike(bound form) to treat (an illness), to cure; therapy, recuperation
- 辽liáosound-alikeshort name for Liaoning province
- 寮liáosound-alike(bound form) small house; hut
Examples
- 。Guān liáo zhì dù xū yào gǎi gé.The bureaucratic system needs reform.
- 。Tā shì wǒ de lǎo tóng liáo.He is my old colleague.
- 。Tā men céng shì duō nián de tóng liáo.They were colleagues for many years.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo僚liáo
Same sound today
僚 combines 人 (person) with 尞, which supplies the sound liáo.
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