翘 (qiáo): outstanding; pre-eminent

Meanings

1 outstanding; pre-eminent
2 to lift up (the head); to look up eagerly

Characters

翘

qiáo

outstanding; pre-eminent

Examples

HSK 6

她是我们行业的翘楚。

Tā shì wǒmen hángyè de qiáochǔ.

She is the leading figure in our field.

HSK 7-9

大家都翘首以待胜利的那一刻。

Dàjiā dōu qiáoshǒu yǐdài shènglì de nàyīkè.

Everyone watched eagerly for the moment of victory.

Tips

register

The qiáo reading is literary and bound to set expressions - don't try to use it as a free word. The two you'll meet most often are 翘首 (to crane one's neck, look up expectantly) and 翘楚 (the standout in a field). Both retain a refined, classical flavor.

memory

Picture a giraffe stretching its head up over the brambles: that's 翘首 (head raised, looking) and 翘楚 (the tallest stalk above the thicket - hence 'outstanding'). Both ride on the same image of being lifted high above the crowd.

Components

radical

羽 yǔ

feather; wing

Same feather radical as in qiào. The literary sense 'outstanding' rides on the same picture: a long plume held high above the head - pre-eminent, eye-catching. Same radical in 翔 (soar), 翼 (wing).

phonetic

尧 yáo

Yao (legendary emperor); high mound

Same phonetic 尧 as in the qiào reading. The qiáo form preserves the historical second-tone reading; qiào is a later derived sense. The 'high mound' echo from traditional 堯 fits the qiáo sense of being lifted, eminent, above the rest.