Definitions

jiāo (adjective) proud; arrogant

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified from .

About

The character 骄, whose traditional form is 驕, is structured around the semantic component 馬 (horse) and the phonetic component 喬 (tall, lofty), originally depicting a horse that is tall, noble, or physically superior, a meaning which carried both a positive sense of excellence and the latent potential for haughtiness. Over centuries, this equine association receded as the meaning shifted almost exclusively to the abstract human quality of arrogance and excessive pride, reflecting a person who holds themselves in high esteem. In its simplified form 骄, the left radical is reduced from 馬 to 马, still indicating the original horse association, while the right component 喬 is simplified to 乔, maintaining a phonetic role while altering the visual structure; this change in form, however, did not alter the core meaning, which had long been fixed as a negative moral attribute denoting overbearing self-satisfaction.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他为成绩感到傲。

Tā wéi chéngjì gǎndào jiāo'ào.

He is proud of his achievements.

阳似火,天气很热。

Jiāoyáng sì huǒ, tiānqì hěn rè.

The sun is scorching like fire, and the weather is very hot.

她取得了人的成绩。

Tā qǔdé le jiāorén de chéngjì.

She has achieved impressive results.

父母不能纵孩子。

Fùmǔ bù néng jiāozòng háizi.

Parents should not spoil their children.

傲的人往往没有朋友。

Jiāo'ào de rén wǎngwǎng méiyǒu péngyou.

Arrogant people often have no friends.

如果太傲,你就会失败。

Rúguǒ tài jiāo'ào, nǐ jiù huì shībài.

If you are too proud, you will fail.

他身上有一股气,让人不喜欢。

Tā shēnshàng yǒu yī gǔ jiāoqì, ràng rén bù xǐhuan.

He has an arrogant air that makes people dislike him.

历史上的统治者常因奢而失去民心。

Lìshǐ shàng de tǒngzhì zhě cháng yīn jiāoshē ér shīqù mínxīn.

Rulers in history often lost popular support due to extravagance and arrogance.