窍 (qiào) — (bound form) aperture; small opening; (bound form) key; knack; secret to success
Definition
A bound morpheme: in 七窍 it means a physical 'aperture or orifice'; in 窍门 / 诀窍 it means the 'trick or knack' to doing something well.
bound form
aperturesmall openingkeyknacksecret to success
Examples
- 。Zuò shì qing yào zhǎo dào qiào mén.When doing things, you need to find the knack.
- 。Yī shēng jiǎn chá le tā de qī qiào.The doctor examined his seven apertures.
- 。Zhè ge jué qiào shì lǎo shī jiào wǒ de.This secret was taught to me by the teacher.
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 竅; 窍 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo竅qiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 竅 combines 穴, meaning cave, with 敫 for the sound; the simplified 窍 is a shorthand.
Appears in
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