笑

咲

xiào

夭 + 竹

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

xiào (verb) laugh; smile

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 夭 represents the sound.

About

笑 (xiào) is a phonosemantic compound that depicts the act of laughing and smiling. The structure places the semantic component 竹 (zhú, bamboo) at the top and the phonetic component 夭 (yāo, meaning young, tender, or bending) at the bottom. The combination suggests the visual metaphor of bamboo bending in the wind, which mirrors a person's body shaking with genuine laughter. The primary meaning covers all forms of joyful laughter and outward expressions of amusement. Over time, the character also acquired secondary senses of ridicule, mockery, and laughing at someone, demonstrating how laughter can express both heartfelt joy and negative derision.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我笑得很开心。

Wǒ xiào de hěn kāixīn.

I laugh very happily.

孩子们笑声不断。

Háizimen xiàoshēng bùduàn.

The children's laughter is continuous.

她微笑着打招呼。

Tā wēixiào zhe dǎ zhāohu.

She greets with a smile.

这个故事真可笑。

Zhège gùshi zhēn kěxiào.

This story is really funny.

他讲笑话逗我们笑。

Tā jiǎng xiàohua dòu wǒmen xiào.

He tells jokes to make us laugh.

他的表演让全场大笑。

Tā de biǎoyǎn ràng quánchǎng dàxiào.

His performance made the whole venue laugh.

面对困难，他苦笑了一下。

Miàn duì kùnnán, tā kǔxiào le yíxià.

Facing difficulties, he smiled wryly.

她的笑容温暖了我的心。

Tā de xiàoróng wēnnuǎn le wǒ de xīn.

Her smile warmed my heart.

Related Characters

Component: 夭

Component: 竹

笑