蛟

jiāo
noun #83,707

Meanings

  1. 1 jiao; a legendary flood dragon said to control rain and water

Examples

HSK 7-9
Chuánshuō shēntán lǐ qiánfú zhe yì tiáo jiāo.
Legend says a flood dragon lurked in the deep pool.
HSK 7-9
蛟龙得水,便腾空而起。
Jiāolóng dé shuǐ, biàn téngkōng ér qǐ.
Once it gets water, the flood dragon soars into the sky.

Tips

culture
Usually in 蛟龙 (flood dragon). The set phrase 蛟龙得水 describes a talented person finally getting the chance to flourish, the way a water dragon gains power once it reaches water.

Components

radical
虫 chóng
insect; reptile; creature
The creature radical. Old Chinese used it broadly for scaled and crawling beings, so a serpentine water dragon naturally takes it.
phonetic
交 jiāo
to cross; to interact
Provides the sound, read 交 on its own and unchanged here. It contributes the pronunciation only.

Stroke Order

蛟 jiāo