晓得 (xiǎo de) — to know (dialectal, used in Southern China and Taiwan)

Definition

Colloquial, dialectal form of 知道, common in Southern China and Taiwan. Meaning is the same as 知道 — 'to know, to be aware' — but sounds informal and regional.

verb
to know (dialectal, used in Southern China and Taiwan)

Examples

  • 晓得。
    Zhè jiàn shì wǒ zǎo jiù xiǎo de le.
    I knew about this matter long ago.
  • 晓得？
    Nǐ xiǎo de tā jiào shén me míng zì ma?
    Do you know what his name is?
  • 晓得，。
    Wǒ xiǎo de nǐ de yì si, dàn shì wǒ hái shì bù tóng yì.
    I know what you mean, but I still disagree.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

晓xiǎoknow
得désuffix

晓 (know) plus 得 forms the dialectal form 晓得, 'know'.

Characters in this word

Most 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 曉; 晓 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo曉xiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 曉 puts 日, a sun, beside 堯, which gives the sound; the simplified 晓 is a shorthand and its right side is not that sound part.

Open 晓 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →
Appears in
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