敲 qiāo knock
knock; blackmail
How to remember 敲: 高 high + 攴 tap = knock. The delivery man climbs up to the high tenth floor, starts to tap softly on the door, then has to knock hard.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
敲 = 高 high + 攴 tap
- 高 high sound
- 攴 tap meaning
The delivery man climbs up to the high tenth floor, starts to tap softly on the door, then has to knock hard.
How it came to be
The tapping hand on the right gives the meaning and the left part gives the sound.
How it is used
- To knock/strike: 敲门 (qiāo mén) knock on a door, 敲鼓 (qiāo gǔ) beat a drum.
- 推敲 (tuīqiāo) = to weigh/deliberate over wording, from a famous poet's story of choosing between "push" and "knock."
- 敲诈 (qiāozhà) = to extort/blackmail; colloquial 敲竹杠 (qiāo zhúgàng) = to rip someone off.
Words with 敲
Example sentences
- 他在敲打键盘。 Tā zài qiāodǎ jiànpán.He's typing on the keyboard.