娇 (jiāo) — (stative verb) delicate, tender, charming (of appearance or manner); (stative verb) pampered, spoiled, finicky (of temperament or habits)
Definition
娇 (jiāo) describes a delicate, charming appearance (娇小) OR a spoiled, finicky temperament (娇气) — two distinct senses of the same word. It is the stative-verb form; for the verb "to pamper," use 娇惯.
adjective
(stative verb) delicatetendercharming (of appearance or manner)(stative verb) pamperedspoiledfinicky (of temperament or habits)
Examples
- ，。Tā cháng dé nà me jiāo xiǎo kě ài, ràng rén rěn bú zhù xiǎng bǎo hù.She looks so petite and cute that people can't help wanting to protect her.
- ，。Zhè duǒ huā tài jiāo guì le, yí pèng jiù diào huā bàn.This flower is too delicate – its petals fall off at the slightest touch.
- ，，。Tā cóng xiǎo bèi chǒng huài le, tè bié jiāo qì, yì diǎn kǔ dōu chī bù liǎo.He was spoiled as a child, so he's very finicky and can't handle any hardship.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 嬌; 娇 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo嬌jiāo
Same sound today
The traditional form 嬌 has 女 (woman) beside 喬, which gave the sound; the simplified 娇 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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