宵 (xiāo) — night (bound morpheme, used in compounds)
Definition
宵 (xiāo) is a bound literary word for 'night' — never used alone, only inside compounds like 通宵 (all night) or 宵禁 (curfew).
bound form
night (bound morpheme, used in compounds)
Easily confused
- 消xiāosound-aliketo eliminate, to dispel, to subside
- 肖xiāosound-alike(bound form) used as a surname; also a component in compounds meaning 'to resemble' (pronounced xiào)
- 削xiāosound-aliketo pare, to peel (fruit), to sharpen (a pencil)
- 箫xiāosound-alikea vertical bamboo flute (Chinese traditional instrument)
- 萧xiāosound-alikedesolate; bleak (bound form)
- 销xiāosound-aliketo sell
Examples
- 。Zán men wán le yí gè tōng xiāo.We hung out all night.
- 宵，。Tā jīng cháng chī xiāo yè, duì wèi bù hǎo.She often eats late-night snacks, which is bad for her stomach.
- 。Yì qíng qī jiān shí xíng le xiāo jìn.A curfew was enforced during the pandemic.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
宵 pairs 宀 (roof) with 肖, a part that gives the sound.
Appears in
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