肖

xiào
noun #7,820

Meanings

  1. 1 to resemble; to be similar to
  2. 2 Xiao (Chinese surname)

Examples

HSK 1
Nǐ rènshi Xiào lǎoshī ma?
Do you know Teacher Xiao?
HSK 4
Zhè háizi zhǎng de hěn xiào tā fùqīn.
This child looks very much like his father.
HSK 6
Shí'èr shēngxiào nǐ shǔ shénme?
Which of the twelve zodiac animals are you?

Tips

usage
Most commonly seen in 生肖 (Chinese zodiac) and 肖像 (portrait). As a surname, 肖 is a simplified variant of 萧 - many people surnamed 萧 were reassigned to 肖 during simplification.
mistakes
As a surname it's pronounced Xiào (4th tone), but many people say Xiāo (1st tone) because of the connection to 萧. Both are heard in practice.

Components

radical
⺼ ròu
flesh; meat (radical form of 肉)
Bottom flesh radical (the radical form of 肉, visually identical to 月 moon but distinct in meaning) - anchors 肖 to the body/anatomy family alongside 胃 stomach, 肝 liver, 胆 gallbladder. Here it stands for 'the flesh of a child' born from the parent.
semantic
⺌ xiǎo
small (variant of 小 as top)
Top three-stroke small-variant of 小 sits above the flesh radical, giving the picture of 'a small piece of flesh' - a child resembling a parent in miniature form. From this came the verb sense 'to resemble' and the noun sense 'likeness, portrait.' The same top appears in 当, 尚, 党.

Stroke Order

肖 xiào