挑 tiāo to select
to select; to choose; picky; to pick
How to remember 挑: 扌 hand + 兆 omen = to select. At the market Grandma weighs each melon in her hand, looks for a good omen in its smell, and takes her time to select.
Component breakdown
挑 = 扌 hand + 兆 omen
- 扌 hand
- 兆 omen
At the market Grandma weighs each melon in her hand, looks for a good omen in its smell, and takes her time to select.
How it is used
- Polyphone: tiāo for "select/choose" - 挑选 tiāoxuǎn "to pick out," 挑剔 tiāoti "picky, hard to please."
- tiǎo for "provoke/incite" - 挑战 tiǎozhàn "to challenge," 挑衅 tiǎoxìn "to provoke," 挑拨 tiǎobō "to stir up discord between people."
- Learner trap: many misread 挑战 as tiāozhàn - the "incite/stir up" family always takes the tiǎo tone.
- 你别挑剔了 (nǐ bié tiāoti le) - "stop being so picky" - is a common everyday scolding.
Words with 挑
Example sentences
- 千万不要挑拨夫妻关系。 Qiānwàn búyào tiǎobō fūqī guānxi.Never sow discord between husband and wife.
- 超市里的食品可以任顾客挑选。 Chāoshì lǐ de shípǐn kěyǐ rèn gùkè tiāoxuǎn.Customers can select any of the foods in the supermarket they wish to.