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调 (diào) — (verb) to transfer, to move (troops, cadres, personnel); (verb) to investigate, to inquire into; (noun) tone, tune, key (in music), melody

Definition

调 (diào) is a verb meaning 'to transfer' personnel, or 'to investigate' — distinct from 曲 (a musical tune/song) and 口音 (regional accent). Note the noun uses (tone, tune) are also common.

verb
to transferto move (troops, cadres, personnel)to investigateto inquire into
noun
tonetunekey (in music)melody
Easily confused

Examples

  • 调。
    Tā bèi diào dào běi jīng gōng zuò le.
    He was transferred to work in Beijing.
  • 。
    Jǐng chá zhèng zài diào chá zhè ge àn zi.
    The police are investigating this case.
  • 。
    Tā shuō huà de yǔ diào ràng wǒ jué de tā hěn shēng qì.
    The tone of his voice made me think he was angry.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5ManagementMusic2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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