骚

騷

sāo

蚤 + 马

Definitions

sāo (verb) disturb; create trouble

sāo (adjective) flirty; coquettish

sāo (noun) foul smell

Etymology

A flea 蚤 biting a horse 马; 蚤 also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 骚 (traditional 騷) combines 马 (horse) and 蚤 (flea), evoking a flea biting a horse and making it restless; 蚤 also indicates the pronunciation. This image of equine agitation gave the character its early meaning of disturbance or restlessness, which later extended to causing trouble or harassing people. In literary contexts, it came to express sorrow and poetic grievance, and eventually acquired colloquial overtones of flirtatiousness or lewdness.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

不要在网络上骚扰别人。

Bú yào zài wǎngluò shang sāorǎo biérén.

Do not harass others on the internet.

昨晚小区里发生了一场小骚乱。

Zuó wǎn xiǎoqū li fāshēng le yì chǎng xiǎo sāoluàn.

A small riot occurred in the neighborhood last night.

人群因这个突然的消息而骚动。

Rénqún yīn zhège tūrán de xiāoxi ér sāodòng.

The crowd was stirred up by this sudden news.

这个诗人颇具古代骚客的风骨。

Zhège shīrén pō jù gǔdài sāokè de fēnggǔ.

This poet quite possesses the character of ancient literati.

那股奇怪的骚味到底是从哪儿来的？

Nà gǔ qíguài de sāo wèi dàodǐ shì cóng nǎr lái de?

Where on earth is that strange, rank smell coming from?

他的文章总是喜欢卖弄风骚，华而不实。

Tā de wénzhāng zǒng shì xǐhuan màinòng fēngsāo, huá ér bù shí.

His writing always likes to be coquettish and showy, flashy but without substance.

整件事就是一场精心策划的骚操作。

Zhěng jiàn shì jiù shì yì chǎng jīngxīn cèhuà de sāo cāozuò.

The whole thing was a meticulously planned, unconventional and tricky move.

这位先锋艺术家的作品以惊世骇俗的骚艳著称。

Zhè wèi xiānfēng yìshùjiā de zuòpǐn yǐ jīngshìhàisú de sāo yàn zhùchēng.

This avant-garde artist's works are famous for their astonishingly bold and flamboyant sensuality.

Related Characters

Component: 蚤

Component: 马

骚