洮 (Táo): the Tao River (a tributary of t…

Meanings

1 the Tao River (a tributary of the Yellow River in Gansu)
2 to wash; to cleanse

Characters

洮

táo

the Tao River; (also) to wash

Examples

洮河发源于甘肃，汇入黄河上游。

Táohé fāyuán yú Gānsù, huìrù Huánghé shàngyóu.

The Tao River rises in Gansu and flows into the upper Yellow River.

洮砚用洮河石做成，很受书法家喜爱。

Táoyàn yòng Táohé shí zuò chéng, hěn shòu shūfǎjiā xǐ'ài.

Taozhou inkstones, made from Tao River stone, are prized by calligraphers.

Tips

history

洮 is mainly the river name 洮河 ('Tao River') in Gansu, source of the famous 洮砚 inkstones. It also carries an old verb sense 'to wash, to rinse'.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water

氵 is the three-drop left-side form of the water radical 水, fitting for both a river name and the 'to wash' sense.

phonetic

兆 zhào

omen; trillion (phonetic)

兆 on the right is the phonetic; the reading drifted from zhào to táo. It carries no meaning here.

In Pop Culture

洮砚 Táoyàn

Taozhou inkstone

One of China's four famous inkstones, carved from green stone of the 洮河 in Gansu, valued since the Song dynasty for its fine, water-retaining surface.

Stroke Order

洮 Táo

Related Words

洮湖 Táo Hú

Lake Tao (Jiangsu) / Taohu Lake

派 pài HSK 3 #559

tributary; branch of a river / clique; school; group; faction / style; manner / to send; to dispatch; to allocate; to appoint / classifier for factions, groups / classifier (preceded by 一) for a scene, atmosphere, sound, or demeanor / pi (Greek letter Π, π); the circular ratio / pie

江 jiāng HSK 4 #7,445

river (large) / the Yangtze River (when used alone)

陶 táo #6,938

pottery / ceramics / a surname (Tao)

大河 dàhé #27,159

large river / the Yellow River (when used with the definite sense)

湾 wān #5,123

bay; gulf / a bend in a river

沿着 yánzhe HSK 6 #4,044

along; following (a path, road, river, etc.)

黄色 huángsè HSK 2 #3,285