嫖

piáo

女 + 票

Definitions

piáo to visit a prostitute

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 票 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 票

About

嫖 is a phonosemantic compound formed from the radical 女 (woman) and the phonetic 票. The 女 radical signals a semantic connection to women, giving the character its primary meaning of visiting prostitutes or hiring female sex workers. The phonetic component 票 indicates the pronunciation. An obsolete reading with a different pronunciation once meant light, swift movement in military contexts; however, this usage is extremely rare today, and the prostitution sense is the only common one.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他因嫖娼被罚款。

Tā yīn piáochāng bèi fákuǎn.

He was fined for prostitution.

嫖娼是违法行为。

Piáochāng shì wéifǎ xíngwéi.

Prostitution is illegal behavior.

警方逮捕了一名嫖客。

Jǐngfāng dàibǔle yī míng piáokè.

The police arrested a john.

他涉嫌嫖娼被调查。

Tā shèxián piáochāng bèi diàochá.

He was investigated for suspected prostitution.

社会上反对嫖娼的声音很多。

Shèhuì shàng fǎnduì piáochāng de shēngyīn hěn duō.

There are many voices in society opposing prostitution.

嫖娼不仅违法，还损害健康。

Piáochāng bùjǐn wéifǎ, hái sǔnhài jiànkāng.

Prostitution is not only illegal but also harmful to health.

为了打击嫖娼，政府加强了执法力度。

Wèile dǎjī piáochāng, zhèngfǔ jiāqiángle zhífǎ lìdù.

To crack down on prostitution, the government has strengthened law enforcement.

尽管法律禁止，但仍有人暗中从事嫖娼活动。

Jǐnguǎn fǎlǜ jìnzhǐ, dàn réng yǒu rén ànzhōng cóngshì piáochāng huódòng.

Although the law prohibits it, some people still engage in prostitution activities secretly.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 票

嫖