吊 (diào): to hang; to suspend

Meanings

1 to hang; to suspend
2 to hoist; to lift with a crane
3 to mourn; to condole

Characters

吊

diào

to hang; to suspend

Examples

天花板上吊着一盏灯。

Tiānhuābǎn shàngdiào zhe yī zhǎn dēng.

A lamp hangs from the ceiling.

工人用吊车吊起了钢梁。

Gōngrén yòng diàochē diào qǐ le gāng liáng.

The workers hoisted the steel beam with a crane.

我们去吊唁他的家属。

Wǒmen qù diàoyàn tā de jiāshǔ.

We went to offer condolences to his family.

Tips

usage

吊 has multiple uses: 吊灯 (chandelier), 吊车 (crane), 吊桥 (suspension bridge), 吊唁 (condolences). As a measure word, 一吊钱 was an old unit of currency (a string of coins).

memory

Picture something dangling from a hook — that's the core meaning. The 口 (mouth) at the top is like the hook, with the vertical stroke hanging down.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

frame; opening

Top 口 — here read as a small frame or hook from which something hangs, not a literal mouth. The Kangxi assignment to 口 is graphic; 吊 has no eating/speaking sense. Picture a ring or attachment point fixed at the top from which the cloth below dangles.

semantic

巾 jīn

cloth; towel

Bottom 巾 — a piece of cloth hanging down. With the frame above, the picture is a banner suspended from a hook. The vertical stroke dropping through both halves emphasizes the hanging line, hence 吊 = anything dangling: lamps, cranes, suspension bridges, mourning offerings hung up at a wake.