shào
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 (classical) noble; of fine character
  2. 2 (classical) to encourage; to urge on

Examples

Nián mí gāo ér dé mí shào.
As his years grew greater, his virtue grew finer still.

Tips

history
'noble in character' is not used independently in modern Chinese. It survives in the bookish phrase (advanced in years and high in virtue) and as a given name. It shares the phonetic with .
register
Archaic and literary only, seen in old praise formulas and etymology notes, not in everyday speech.

Components

phonetic
zhào
to summon; to call
supplies the sound, drifted to shào. The same phonetic appears in (a surname) and (to carry on; to introduce).
semantic
strength; effort
(strength, effort) adds the sense of striving toward something fine, supporting the meanings 'to urge on' and 'high in worth'.

Stroke Order

shào