About
苕 (tiáo/sháo) is a phono-semantic compound in the botanical category of Chinese characters. Its semantic component is the grass radical 艹 (cǎo), which classifies it within the plant family. The phonetic component is 召 (zhào). Historically, when pronounced tiáo, it referred to the Chinese trumpet creeper, a climbing vine noted for its vibrant, tubular flowers. This usage appears in ancient poetry to describe tall, flowering grasses. In modern colloquial speech, particularly in southwestern dialects and pronounced sháo, the term has shifted to denote the sweet potato, reflecting a regional change from an ornamental vine to a staple crop.
Etymology Hide
