调tiáo
Character evolution
调
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Simplified · Today
繁体
Traditional Chinese
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Shuowen
调 (tiáo): Composed of 言 (speech) as the semantic radical and 周 as the phonetic component, the character originally meant "to harmonize, to tune" as in adjusting speech or music to the correct tone; the speech radical indicates the verbal nature of调节 or negotiation, while 周 (meaning "thorough" or "complete") provides the phonetic and suggests bringing all elements into proper proportion; thus 调 represents the act of speaking in a balanced, harmonious way or adjusting something to achieve agreement.
Pinyin
tiáo· HSK 2