Definitions

yáo (noun) jade; precious stone
Yáo (noun) Yao ethnic group of China and Southeast Asia

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "瑶" has a history centered on its consistent structure as a phono-semantic compound, combining the "jade" radical on the left with the phonetic component "䍃" on the right, a formation shared by its traditional form. This construction directly indicates its original meaning, which referred specifically to a type of fine, beautiful jade or precious stone. Over time, the semantic field of the character expanded beyond the literal mineral, coming to describe anything possessing a similar quality of exquisite beauty or pure whiteness, such as "瑶池" denoting a legendary jade pond of the immortals. Consequently, the character acquired a strong connotation of something precious, elegant, and otherworldly, and it became a favored element in poetic language and female given names to evoke these qualities of rarity and refinement.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有一串美丽的珠。

Wǒ yǒu yī chuàn měilì de Yáozhū.

I have a beautiful string of Yao beads.

族文化很有特色。

Yáozú wénhuà hěn yǒu tèsè.

Yao ethnic culture is very distinctive.

传说中池是西王母住的地方。

Chuánshuō zhōng Yáochí shì Xīwángmǔ zhù de dìfang.

Legend says Yaochi is where the Queen Mother of the West lives.

她精心熬了一锅柱粥。

Tā jīngxīn áo le yī guō yáozhù zhōu.

She carefully cooked a pot of congee with dried scallops.

这件玉器雕工精湛,宛如琳仙境。

Zhè jiàn yùqì diāogōng jīngzhàn, wǎnrú Yáolín xiānjìng.

This jade artifact has exquisite carving, just like a fairyland of jade forests.

他远赴广西研究族医药。

Tā yuǎn fù Guǎngxī yánjiū Yáozú yīyào.

He traveled far to Guangxi to study Yao ethnic medicine.

那片被晨雾笼罩的山林,琼枝叶,美不胜收。

Nà piàn bèi chénwù lǒngzhào de shānlín, qióng zhī yáo yè, měi bù shèng shōu.

That mountain forest shrouded in morning mist, with its jade-like branches and leaves, is breathtakingly beautiful.

她名字里的字,寄托了父母对她如玉般温润美好的期望。

Tā míngzì lǐ de Yáo zì, jìtuō le fùmǔ duì tā rú yù bān wēnrùn měihǎo de qīwàng.

The character 'Yao' in her name carries her parents' expectation for her to be as gentle and beautiful as fine jade.