凋 (diāo): to wither; to fade

Meanings

1 to wither; to fade
2 to decline; to wane

Characters

凋

diāo

to wither; to fade

Examples

HSK 7-9

深秋时，花都凋谢了。

Shēnqiū shí, huā dōu diāoxiè le.

By late autumn, the flowers had all withered.

HSK 7-9

小镇的旧产业逐渐凋敝。

Xiǎozhèn de jiù chǎnyè zhújiàn diāobì.

The old industries of the town gradually declined.

Tips

usage

Common in 凋谢 (of flowers, to wither) and 凋零, which means both leaves falling and, figuratively, things or people fading and passing away.

Components

radical

冫 bīng

ice

The two-stroke ice radical 冫 on the left suggests cold; frost is what makes plants wither, which is the core meaning here.

phonetic

周 zhōu

circle; all around

周 is the sound element, its reading shifted to diāo. The same phonetic appears in 雕 and 调.

Stroke Order

凋 diāo

Related Words

凋零 diāolíng #24,668

to wither / to fade / to decay / to dwindle away

凋谢 diāoxiè #19,835

to wither / to wilt / to fade

昨夜西风凋碧树 Zuó yè xī fēng diāo bì shù

last night the west wind withered the emerald trees / fig. overnight, change strips one's familiar world bare / Yan Shu's image of solitary autumn loss

谢 xiè #1,031

to thank; to express gratitude / to decline (politely); to refuse / to wither; to fade

衰 shuāi #6,091

to decline / to wane / weak / unlucky

跌 diē HSK 6 #6,756

to fall; to tumble / to drop; to decline (prices, stocks)

下降 xiàjiàng HSK 4 #3,833

to decline; to drop; to decrease

败 bài HSK 4 #5,522

to defeat; to beat / to lose (to an opponent); to fail / to decay; to wither

落 luò HSK 4 #1,572

to fall; to drop; to descend / to set (of the sun); to ebb (of a tide) / to decline; to sink; to lag behind / to settle; to come to rest / whereabouts; settlement

拒绝 jùjué HSK 5 #1,045

to refuse; to decline; to reject