Definitions

tiáo (classifier) classifier for long thin things (rope, river, road etc)
tiáo (noun) item; article
tiáo (noun) clause; provision

Etymology

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character 条 originates from its traditional form "條", which is composed of the semantic component "木" (wood) and the phonetic component "攸". This structure originally conveyed the meaning of a slender, pliable twig or branch from a tree. Over time, its application broadened semantically to describe anything possessing a similar long, narrow, and linear form, such as strips of material, written items, or abstract principles. This conceptual expansion allowed it to further grammaticalize into a common measure word for long, thin objects and for items in a list or series. The modern simplified form 条, which visually suggests a tree (木) under a simplified roof (夂), streamlined the character while maintaining its fundamental association with wooden slenderness and its extended, more abstract uses.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 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)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

马路很宽。

Zhè tiáo mǎlù hěn kuān.

This road is very wide.

我需要一干净的毛巾。

Wǒ xūyào yī tiáo gānjìng de máojīn.

I need a clean towel.

新闻很重要。

Nà tiáo xīnwén hěn zhòngyào.

That piece of news is very important.

裙子太长了。

Zhè tiáo qúnzi tài cháng le.

This skirt is too long.

河边有一弯曲的小路。

Hé biān yǒu yī tiáo wānqū de xiǎolù.

There is a winding path by the river.

请遵守以下三规则。

Qǐng zūnshǒu yǐxià sān tiáo guīzé.

Please follow the three rules below.

双方签订了一约。

Shuāngfāng qiāndìng le yī tiáo xīn tiáoyuē.

The two sides signed a new treaty.

他清晰地列出了三反对的理由。

Tā qīngxī de lièchū le sān tiáo fǎnduì de lǐyóu.

He clearly listed three reasons for his opposition.