绰 (chāo) — (bound form, pronounced chuò) ample, spacious, graceful; (bound form, pronounced chuò) nickname (in 绰号)
Definition
绰 (chāo) is a bound character — it never stands alone and only appears in compounds like 绰号 ('nickname') or the literary 绰约 ('graceful, ample'). Pronounce it chuò in these compounds.
bound form
(bound form, pronounced chuò) amplespaciousgraceful(bound form, pronounced chuò) nickname (in 绰号)
Easily confused
- 悼dàolook-aliketo mourn, to lament (formal, often used in compound words)
- 超chāosound-aliketo exceed, surpass (a limit, standard, or amount)
- 掉diàolook-aliketo fall; to drop
- 抄chāosound-aliketo copy, to transcribe; to plagiarize
- 钞chāosound-alike(bound form) banknote, paper money (in compounds like 钞票, 现钞)
- 剿chāosound-alike(bound form) to raid, to attack by stealth
Examples
- ""。Tā yǒu gè chāo hào jiào " xiǎo zhū gě ".He has a nickname called 'Little Zhuge'.
- ，。Bié gěi wǒ qǐ chāo hào, wǒ bù xǐ huan.Don't give me a nickname, I don't like it.
- 绰，。Zhè ge zì shì chāo, bù néng dān dú yòng.This character is a bound form and cannot be used alone.
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 綽; 绰 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
⽷⽷⽷
Sound part声符shēngfú
卓
卓zhuó綽chuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 綽 pairs ⽷ with 卓 as a sound part; the simplified 绰 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.
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