绰 (chuò) · ample; spacious; abundant

Meanings

1 ample; spacious; abundant
2 graceful; charming

Characters

绰

chuò

ample; graceful

Examples

HSK 1

我们时间还很绰。

Wǒmen shíjiān hái hěn chuò.

We still have ample time.

HSK 7-9

她身材绰约，气质出众。

Tā shēncái chuòyuē, qìzhì chūzhòng.

Her figure is graceful and her bearing exceptional.

Tips

usage

Mostly seen in compounds today: 绰号 (chuòhào, nickname), 绰绰有余 (chuòchuòyǒuyú, more than enough), 绰约 (chuòyuē, graceful). Has a second reading chāo meaning 'to grab; snatch up' (e.g. 绰起一根棍子 'snatch up a stick'), but chuò is the dominant modern reading.

memory

The silk radical 纟 + 卓 ('outstanding') - think of generous, flowing silk: 'enough to spare, gracefully draped'.

Components

radical

纟 sī

silk thread (radical form of 糸)

The silk radical on the left tags 绰 as something woven or fabric-related - originally a long flowing silk garment, hence "ample, spacious, generous". The radical indexes 绰 with the cloth-and-thread family: 绫 damask, 绸 silk, 绒 wool, 绵 cotton, 绣 embroidery.

phonetic

卓 zhuó

eminent; outstanding

卓 supplies the sound zhuó → chuò, a tone-and-initial drift. It also lends a faint flavour: 卓 means tall and outstanding, fitting the abundance and grace of 绰约 charming or 阔绰 lavish. Same phonetic in 悼 mourn, 棹 oar.