Dictionary › 箫

箫

xiāo

Character Traditional 簫

What 箫 means

1. xiao, a vertical bamboo flute

Example sentences

• 我听说经理的妻子出去度假了。这时就是山中无老虎，猴子称大王了。现在经理他夜夜笙箫。
  Wǒ tīngshuō jīnglǐ de qīzi chūqù dùjià le. zhèshí jiùshì shānzhōngwúlǎohǔ, hóuzichēngdàiwang le. xiànzài jīnglǐ tā yèyè shēngxiāo.
  I heard the manager's wife is on vacation. And, well, when the cat's away, the mice play. Now he's out partying every night.

Words containing 箫

• 吹箫chuī xiāoto play the xiao 箫; (literary) to beg on the streets…
• 排箫pái xiāopanpipes
• 笙箫shēng xiāoreed-pipe wind instrument and vertical bamboo flute
• 鼻箫bí xiāonose flute
• 吴市吹箫wú shì chuī xiāo(idiom) to beg on the streets; to fall into utter destitution (allusion to Wu Zixu's 伍子胥
• 玉人吹箫yù rén chuī xiāovirtuoso piper wins a beauty; the xiao 箫
• 吹箫乞食chuī xiāo qǐ shísee 吴市吹箫

Characters built on 竹

These share the phonetic component 竹 (zhú), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 笑xiàoto laugh; to smile; to laugh at
• 筱xiǎodwarf bamboo; thin bamboo
• 笤tiáobroom
• 筊jiǎobamboo rope

Characters that look like 箫

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 简jiǎnsimple; uncomplicated; letter
• 蒙méng(literary) sincere; honest; genuine
• 聚jùto assemble; to gather (transitive or intransitive); (chemistry) poly-
• 慧huìintelligent
• 箭jiànarrow
• 罂yīngearthen jar with small mouth

Sounds the same

Read xiāo, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 消to diminish; to subside; to consume; to reduce; to idle away (the time)
• 销to melt (metal); to cancel; to annul; to sell
• 宵night
• 潇(of water) deep and clear
• 萧(old) Chinese mugwort; (bound form) desolate; dreary
• 削to peel with a knife; to pare; to cut (a ball at tennis etc)
• 霄firmament; heaven
• 枭owl; valiant; trafficker
• 逍used in 逍遥
• 嚣clamor
• 硝saltpeter; to tan (leather)
• 骁good horse; valiant