笑
xiào · HSK 1
laugh
😄 Top 竹 (bamboo) over 夭 (bending person) — bamboo sways like a laughing body
Classic etymology: 笑 shows 竹 'bamboo' on top of 夭 'a bending figure'. Bamboo bends and rustles in wind the way a person doubles over laughing — the character captures that shaking motion.
笑 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 夭 (yāo, bending)
Originally written with the bamboo radical over 夭, depicting a person bending or swaying. One traditional reading is that bamboo bends in the wind like a person doubling over with laughter. The character has meant 'laugh, smile' since early times, with no major shift in meaning.
xiào · HSK 2
to laugh
😄 Top 竹 (bamboo) over 夭 — bamboo bends like a person doubled over laughing
Etymology: 笑 combines 竹 (bamboo radical on top) with 夭 (a bent figure) below. The classic gloss is that bamboo sways and bends the way a laughing person does. Pronounced xiào, fourth tone — sharp falling like a quick laugh.
笑 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 夭 (yāo, bending)
Originally written with the bamboo radical over 夭, depicting a person bending or swaying. One traditional reading is that bamboo bends in the wind like a person doubling over with laughter. The character has meant 'laugh, smile' since early times, with no major shift in meaning.