凋 (diāo) — to wither, to fade (of flowers, leaves)
Definition
凋 is a literary verb meaning 'to wither, to fade' (flowers, leaves, beauty/容颜). It is more literary and written than everyday 枯萎 and is often paired with 谢 or 落 (凋谢, 凋落).
verb
to witherto fade (of flowers, leaves)
Easily confused
- 倜tìlook-alike(bound morpheme) used only in 倜傥 (tìtǎng, 'unconventional and elegant')
- 叼diāosound-aliketo hold in one's mouth (as a cigarette, bone, or object)
- 调diàolook-alike(verb) to transfer, to move (troops, cadres, personnel)
- 雕diāosound-aliketo carve, to engrave
- 貂diāosound-alikemarten (a small carnivorous mammal of the genus Martes, valued for its fur)
- 刁diāosound-alikecunning, sly, artful
Examples
- ，。Qiū tiān dào le, shù yè kāi shǐ diāo luò.Autumn has come, and the leaves begin to wither and fall.
- 。Huā yuán lǐ de huā dū diāo xiè le.The flowers in the garden have all withered.
- ，凋。Qīng chūn yì shì, róng yán yì diāo.Youth is fleeting, and beauty fades easily.
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