侨

僑

qiáo

乔 + 亻

Definitions

qiáo (verb) to reside abroad; to be an overseas resident

qiáo (noun) overseas Chinese person

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 乔 represents the sound. Simplified form of 僑.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 乔

About

侨 is a phonosemantic compound: the left radical 亻 (rén, 'person') carries the meaning, while the right component 乔 (qiáo) marks the pronunciation. It is the simplified version of the traditional character 僑, which used 喬 as its phonetic element. Originally, 侨 described the act of lodging temporarily or living as a guest in a foreign land. This sense evolved into its modern usage, referring to emigrants or expatriates who permanently reside abroad but still maintain ties to their ancestral home.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

华侨爱中国。

Huáqiáo ài Zhōngguó.

Overseas Chinese love China.

许多华侨回国投资。

Xǔduō huáqiáo huíguó tóuzī.

Many overseas Chinese return to China to invest.

侨胞们心系祖国。

Qiáobāo men xīn xì zǔguó.

Overseas compatriots care about their motherland.

我的家乡是著名侨乡。

Wǒ de jiāxiāng shì zhùmíng qiáoxiāng.

My hometown is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese.

政府出台了新侨务政策。

Zhèngfǔ chūtái le xīn qiáowù zhèngcè.

The government introduced new overseas Chinese affairs policies.

海外侨民可以通过使馆寻求帮助。

Hǎiwài qiáomín kěyǐ tōngguò shǐguǎn xúnqiú bāngzhù.

Overseas nationals can seek help through the embassy.

归侨子女在教育方面享受优惠政策。

Guīqiáo zǐnǚ zài jiàoyù fāngmiàn xiǎngshòu yōuhuì zhèngcè.

Children of returned overseas Chinese enjoy preferential policies in education.

为了更好地服务华侨华人，当地侨联举办了一系列活动。

Wèile gèng hǎo de fúwù huáqiáo huárén, dāngdì qiáolián jǔbàn le yī xìliè huódòng.

In order to better serve overseas Chinese, the local overseas Chinese association organized a series of activities.

Related Characters

Component: 乔

Component: 亻

侨