宵

xiāo

宀 + 肖

Definitions

xiāo night

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 宀 represents the meaning and 肖 represents the sound.

Semantic: 宀 Phonetic: 肖

About

宵 (xiāo) translates to night, evening, or the dark hours, and carries a slightly more formal, poetic, or festive connotation than other common words for nighttime. It is a phono-semantic compound: the roof radical 宀 (mián) at the top acts as the semantic indicator, suggesting shelter and returning indoors when darkness falls. The lower component 肖 (xiào) is the phonetic marker, giving the character its pronunciation and entirely unrelated to its own meaning of resemblance. The character is widely used in cultural and temporal terms, especially in the names of traditional evening festivals, classical poetry depicting midnight scenes, and compound words for late-night snacks or the deep hours of the night.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们喜欢吃宵夜。

Wǒmen xǐhuān chī xiāoyè.

We like to eat midnight snacks.

元宵节是传统节日。

Yuánxiāo jié shì chuántǒng jiérì.

The Lantern Festival is a traditional holiday.

他通宵学习很辛苦。

Tā tōngxiāo xuéxí hěn xīnkǔ.

He studies all night and it is very hard.

宵禁是为了安全。

Xiāojìn shì wèile ānquán.

The curfew is for safety.

春宵夜晚特别美丽。

Chūnxiāo yèwǎn tèbié měilì.

Spring nights are especially beautiful.

宵夜摊位很受欢迎。

Xiāoyè tānwèi hěn shòu huānyíng.

Midnight snack stalls are very popular.

在元宵节那天，我们全家团聚。

Zài yuánxiāo jié nà tiān, wǒmen quánjiā tuánjù.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, our whole family gathers together.

尽管政府发布了宵禁，但一些人仍然外出。

Jǐnguǎn zhèngfǔ fābùle xiāojìn, dàn yīxiē rén réngrán wàichū.

Although the government issued a curfew, some people still went out.

Related Characters

Component: 宀

Component: 肖

宵