侥

僥

jiǎo, yáo

亻 + 尧

Definitions

jiǎo by mere luck

yáo used in 僬僥|僬侥[jiāo yáo]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 尧 represents the sound. Simplified form of 僥.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 尧

About

侥 (traditional: 僥) is a phono-semantic compound. The left-side 亻 (rén, "person") hints at the meaning, while the right-side 尧 (yáo) provides the sound. Historically, it denoted people of short stature, such as pygmies, but this early sense has fallen out of use. Today, the character conveys luck, chance, or a narrow escape, and appears almost exclusively in the word 侥幸 (jiǎo xìng), meaning a stroke of luck or a fluke.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他侥幸通过了考试。

Tā jiǎoxìng tōngguòle kǎoshì.

He passed the exam by luck.

这次胜利纯属侥幸。

Zhè cì shènglì chún shǔ jiǎoxìng.

This victory was purely due to luck.

不要抱有侥幸心理。

Bùyào bào yǒu jiǎoxìng xīnlǐ.

Don't harbor a mindset of relying on luck.

他侥幸逃脱了惩罚。

Tā jiǎoxìng táotuōle chéngfá.

He escaped punishment by a fluke.

如果侥幸成功，也不要骄傲。

Rúguǒ jiǎoxìng chénggōng, yě bùyào jiāo'ào.

If you succeed by chance, do not become arrogant.

尽管侥幸避免了事故，但下次要小心。

Jǐnguǎn jiǎoxìng bìmiǎnle shìgù, dàn xià cì yào xiǎoxīn.

Even though the accident was avoided by luck, you must be careful next time.

在竞争中，侥幸取胜是不可靠的。

Zài jìngzhēng zhōng, jiǎoxìng qǔshèng shì bù kěkào de.

In competition, winning by luck is unreliable.

我们必须依靠实力，而非侥幸，才能长期成功。

Wǒmen bìxū yīkào shílì, ér fēi jiǎoxìng, cáinéng chángqī chénggōng.

We must rely on strength, not luck, to achieve long-term success.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 尧

侥