巧 (qiǎo) — coincidental; by chance; opportune; skillful; clever; ingenious
Definition
巧 covers two distinct senses: 'skillful/clever' (对比 熟练 — skillful through practice — more innate talent) and 'coincidental/opportune' (对比 巧合, a noun for coincidence; 凑巧 emphasizes happy chance).
adjective
coincidentalby chanceopportuneskillfulcleveringenious
Examples
- 巧，！Zhēn qiǎo, wǒ yě zài zhè lǐ!What a coincidence — I'm here too!
- ，。Tā yǒu yì shuāng qiǎo shǒu, shén me dōu huì zuò.She has skillful hands and can make anything.
- 巧，。Zhè ge bàn fǎ hěn qiǎo, yí xià zi jiù jiě jué le wèn tí.This method is very clever — it solved the problem right away.
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
丂
丂kǎo巧qiǎo
Same sound today
巧 is made of 工 and 丂; 工 points to its meaning, and 丂 points to its sound.
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