梢

shāo

木 + 肖

HSK 2.0Level 6

Definitions

shāo tip of branch

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 肖 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 肖

About

The character 梢 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left side features the wood radical 木, indicating its semantic connection to trees and plants. The right component 肖 serves as the phonetic element, providing the pronunciation "shao". The character originally meant the thin tip or end of a tree branch. Over time, its meaning expanded metaphorically to refer to the extremity or end of various physical objects, such as the tip of a rope, the end of a boat, or the trailing end of hair.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

鸟儿停在树梢上。

Niǎo er tíng zài shù shāo shàng.

The bird is perched on the treetop.

风吹动了柳树的梢。

Fēng chuī dòng le liǔ shù de shāo.

The wind swayed the willow tree's twigs.

他看到了远处的树梢。

Tā kàn dào le yuǎn chù de shù shāo.

He saw the treetops in the distance.

她的眉梢带着笑意。

Tā de méi shāo dài zhe xiào yì.

The tips of her eyebrows carried a hint of a smile.

月亮挂在树梢之间。

Yuè liang guà zài shù shāo zhī jiān.

The moon hangs between the treetops.

小猫爬上了树的梢头。

Xiǎo māo pá shàng le shù de shāo tóu.

The kitten climbed to the tip of the tree.

问题的末梢需要仔细处理。

Wèn tí de mò shāo xū yào zǐ xì chǔ lǐ.

The finer details of the problem require careful handling.

在神经末梢传递信号时速度非常快。

Zài shén jīng mò shāo chuán dì xìn hào shí sù dù fēi cháng kuài.

When signals are transmitted at nerve endings, the speed is very fast.

Related Characters

Component: 木

Component: 肖

梢