晓

曉

xiǎo

尧 + 日

Definitions

xiǎo (noun) dawn; daybreak

xiǎo (verb) to know; to understand

xiǎo (verb) to inform; to let know

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 日 represents the meaning and 尧 represents the sound. Simplified form of 曉.

Semantic: 日 Phonetic: 尧

About

The character 晓 (simplified) and its traditional form 曉 combine the sun radical 日 on the left, indicating a semantic link to light or time, with the phonetic component 尧/堯 on the right. Its primary meaning is dawn, the moment sunlight first illuminates the sky. This physical image of illumination extends metaphorically to the cognitive domain, where 晓 signifies knowing, understanding, or clarifying something, much like daylight bringing clarity.

Etymology Hide

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

我晓得这件事。

Wǒ xiǎode zhè jiàn shì.

I know about this matter.

我们拂晓就出发。

Wǒmen fúxiǎo jiù chūfā.

We set off at dawn.

春晓是一首古诗。

Chūn Xiǎo shì yī shǒu gǔshī.

"Spring Dawn" is a classical poem.

他已知晓全部真相。

Tā yǐ zhīxiǎo quánbù zhēnxiàng.

He already knows the whole truth.

破晓时分，天边泛红。

Pòxiǎo shífēn, tiānbiān fàn hóng.

At the break of dawn, the sky turned red.

老师耐心地晓之以理。

Lǎoshī nàixīn de xiǎo zhī yǐ lǐ.

The teacher patiently made them understand with reason.

江边惟见晓风残月。

Jiāng biān wéi jiàn xiǎo fēng cán yuè.

By the river, only the dawn breeze and fading moon are seen.

这个故事如今家喻户晓。

Zhège gùshi rújīn jiāyùhùxiǎo.

This story is now known to every household.

Related Characters

Component: 尧

Component: 日

晓