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诀窍 (jué qiào) — knack; trick; secret (to doing something successfully)

Definition

诀窍 is a 'knack or trick' for doing something well — more concise and idiomatic than 技巧 (broader skill/technique) and less secret-recipe-like than 秘诀.

noun
knacktricksecret (to doing something successfully)

Examples

  • 诀窍。
    Zhǎng wò zhè ge jué qiào xū yào nài xīn hé jīng yàn.
    Mastering this trick requires patience and experience.
  • 诀窍。
    Tā de jué qiào shì měi tiān jiān chí liàn xí shí fēn zhōng.
    His secret is to practice for ten minutes every day.
  • 诀窍。
    Nǐ jiào wǒ zuò dàn gāo de jué qiào ba.
    Teach me the knack of making cake.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

诀juésecret formula
窍qiàokey point

诀 and 窍 both point to a key or essential way, so together they name a knack.

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 訣; 诀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài訣jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訣 puts 言 beside 夬: 言 is the meaning part, and 夬 gives the sound. The simplified 诀 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 诀 →

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 竅; 窍 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
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.

Open 窍 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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