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挑

Mandarin · pinyin tiāo#

to carry on a shoulder pole
to choose
to pick
to nitpick

Mandarin · pinyin tiǎo#

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挑: tiāo · a load carried on the shoulders; to carry

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · tiao1

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Connected dictionary

1character link7same-tone records

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 8 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tiu1 · tiu5 · tou1

Cantonese word readings for 挑. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

to pick; to select; to choose
to nitpick
to carry (something) on a shoulder pole
(Chinese calligraphy) a rising stroke (㇀)

character

to provoke; to incite
to poke
to bring something into the open; to make public

character

only used in 挑達／挑达 (tāotà, “walking back and forth; coming and going”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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