翘 (qiào) · to stick up; to point upward

Meanings

1 to stick up; to point upward
2 to raise (one end)
3 to warp; to curl up at the edges
4 to skip (class, work)

Characters

翘

qiào

stick up; raise; warp

Examples

HSK 1

他今天翘课了。

Tā jīntiān qiào kè le.

He skipped class today.

HSK 6

这块木板翘起来了。

Zhè kuài mùbǎn qiào qǐlái le.

This wooden board has warped.

HSK 7-9

他翘着二郎腿坐在椅子上。

Tā qiào zhe èrlángtuǐ zuò zài yǐzi shàng.

He sat in the chair with his legs crossed.

Tips

usage

Default reading qiào covers the everyday senses: tipping one end up (翘二郎腿, crossing legs), warping (boards, paper), and the slangy 翘课 'to skip class'. Also gives 翘臀 (perky butt) and 翘尾巴 (figurative: to get cocky).

register

A literary second reading 翘 (second tone) means 'outstanding / lifted up' and only appears in a handful of set expressions: 翘首 (to crane one's neck in anticipation), 翘楚 (the leader of a field - literally 'tallest among the brambles'), 翘材 (outstanding talent). Save qiáo for these literary collocations.

Components

radical

羽 yǔ

feather; wing

Right indexing radical 羽 (feather / wing) - anchors the meaning. 翘 originally referred to long tail-feathers of a bird sticking up at attention; from there it became 'something with one end stuck up,' then 'to warp,' then the modern slang 翘课 (skip class). Same radical in 翅 (wing), 翔 (soar), 翁 (old father-bird).

phonetic

尧 yáo

Yao (legendary emperor); high mound

Left 尧 supplies the sound (yáo → qiáo / qiào, with shift). Simplified 翘 uses 尧 in place of traditional 翹's 堯, which depicted a high mound - fitting the 'raised, lifted up' meaning. The legendary-emperor association comes from the same character but plays no role here; the function is sonic.