调皮

調皮
tiáopí
adjective HSK 4 #11,072

Meanings

  1. 1 naughty; mischievous
  2. 2 playful; cheeky

Characters

colloquially means 'cheeky'; combined with it gives 'mischievous'.

Examples

Zhège háizi hěn tiáopí.
This child is very naughty.
Bié nàme tiáopí!
Don't be so naughty!
Tiáopí de xuéshēng ràng lǎoshī hěn tóuténg.
Naughty students give teachers headaches.

Tips

usage
调皮 is mostly used for children and is often said with affection rather than real anger. For adults, it can sound playful or flirtatious depending on context.
mistakes
here is the tiáo (2nd tone) reading, meaning 'to adjust/blend'. The other reading diào (4th tone) appears in 调动 (to transfer) and 强调 (to emphasize).

Stroke Order

tiáo