Definitions

piào white horse

Etymology phono-semantic

horse

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(piào or biāo), whose traditional form is , is a phono-semantic compound. The left radical ( in traditional) provides the meaning "horse", while the right component (piào) suggests the pronunciation. It refers to a strong, fast steed, originally a yellow or reddish-yellow horse with white spots or a white mane, highly prized in ancient cavalry. Historically, it featured in military titles, most notably the prestigious General of Agile Cavalry (骠骑将军), a high-ranking commander who led swift mounted troops during imperial campaigns.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern