漂

piāo, piǎo, piào

氵 + 票

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

piāo (verb) to float; to drift

piǎo (verb) to bleach

piào (adjective) elegant; beautiful

Etymology

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

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 票

About

漂 is a phonosemantic compound: the water radical 氵 conveys the meaning, while 票 (piào) indicates the sound. In its primary reading, piāo, it refers to objects resting or drifting on a liquid's surface and being carried along by currents or wind. With a changed tone, piǎo, it describes bleaching or whitening fabrics through washing. A third pronunciation, piào, applies to an attractive, elegant appearance, a metaphorical shift from the visual lightness of floating to aesthetic appreciation.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她今天很漂亮。

Tā jīntiān hěn piàoliang.

She is very beautiful today.

树叶漂浮在水上。

Shùyè piāofú zài shuǐ shàng.

Leaves float on the water.

小船在河中漂流。

Xiǎo chuán zài hé zhōng piāoliú.

The small boat drifts in the river.

他一生都在漂泊。

Tā yīshēng dōu zài piāobó.

He has been wandering all his life.

这件衣服需要漂白。

Zhè jiàn yīfu xūyào piǎobái.

This piece of clothing needs bleaching.

漂流瓶里有一封信。

Piāoliú píng lǐ yǒu yī fēng xìn.

There is a letter in the drift bottle.

漂浮的云朵像棉花糖。

Piāofú de yúnduǒ xiàng miánhuātáng.

The floating clouds look like cotton candy.

漂泊异乡的他常常思念家乡。

Piāobó yìxiāng de tā chángcháng sīniàn jiāxiāng.

He, who wanders in a foreign land, often misses his hometown.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 氵

Component: 票

漂