敲

qiāo

攴 + 高

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

qiāo (verb) to knock; to tap; to rap

qiāo (verb) to overcharge; to rip off

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 攴 represents the meaning and 高 represents the sound.

Semantic: 攴 Phonetic: 高

About

敲 is a phono-semantic compound: the right side is the radical 攴, commonly written as 攵, which depicts a hand holding a stick and means 'strike' or 'hit'; the left side is 高 (gāo), providing the sound. Its primary meaning is to knock, strike, or beat an object (such as a door or a percussion instrument) to produce a sound. From this physical action, the meaning later broadened to include the figurative sense of extorting or fleecing someone by applying pressure.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我敲了敲门。

Wǒ qiāo le qiāo mén.

I knocked on the door.

他轻轻地敲窗户。

Tā qīng qīng de qiāo chuānghu.

He gently taps on the window.

妈妈敲桌子叫我吃饭。

Māma qiāo zhuōzi jiào wǒ chīfàn.

Mom knocks on the table to call me to eat.

敲代码需要耐心。

Qiāo dàimǎ xūyào nàixīn.

Coding requires patience.

如果你不答应，他就敲诈你。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù dāyìng, tā jiù qiāozhà nǐ.

If you don't agree, he will extort you.

敲响警钟是必要的。

Qiāo xiǎng jǐngzhōng shì bìyào de.

It is necessary to sound the alarm.

他敲着鼓，带领队伍前进。

Tā qiāo zhe gǔ, dàilǐng duìwǔ qiánjìn.

He beats the drum, leading the team forward.

在谈判中，对方试图敲定最终协议。

Zài tánpàn zhōng, duìfāng shìtú qiāodìng zuìzhōng xiéyì.

In the negotiation, the other party tried to finalize the final agreement.

Related Characters

Component: 攴

Component: 高

敲