撩 (liāo) — (bound form) to tease, to provoke

Definition

Verb bound mostly to 拨 and 逗 in fixed phrases meaning to tease or provoke. Usually playful, not hostile — lighter than 激怒.

bound form

to teaseto provoke

Easily confused

，。
Tā xǐ huan liāo bō tā, gēn tā kāi wán xiào.
He likes to tease her and joke with her.
撩。
Tā xǐ huan liāo dòu xiǎo hái zi.
He likes to tease children.
，。
Tā zǒng ài liāo bō tóng zhuō, rě dé duì fāng shēng qì.
He always likes to tease his deskmate, making the other person angry.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most 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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尞

尞liáo撩liāo

Same sound today

撩 has 手 (hand) and 尞; 尞 gives it the pronunciation liáo.