ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
调
tone; to adjust (tiáo)
diào
10 strokes · 讠 (speech) + 周 (all around, sound) · HSK 3
调 in traditional Chinese
調
What 调 is made of
讠 + 周 = 调
讠speech (side form)
周circumference / Zhou
Where 调 comes from
Speech 讠 brought into harmony all around 周. Read tiáo, it's the act: adjust, mix, tune. Read diào, it's the result: the tone, the tune, the key.
调 in Chinese culture
For learners this IS the character of 声调 — the four tones. 空调 air conditioner ('air adjuster') cools every Chinese summer; 调查 diào-investigation fills every news report.
Example
声调 shēngdiào — tone (of speech)
中文有四个声调。
Zhōngwén yǒu sì gè shēngdiào.
Chinese has four tones.
How to remember it
SPEECH tuned all AROUND — ADJUST it (tiáo) until you find the TONE (diào).
空调 'air-adjust' is one of modern Chinese's most elegant coinages — the machine literally named for what it does to the room.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 调
声调 shēngdiào
tone
空调 kōngtiáo
air conditioner
Related characters
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