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調

简 调 · 繁 調
Mandarin · pinyin diào#

Meanings · diào

  1. to transfer
  2. to move (troops or cadres)
  3. to investigate
  4. to enquire into
  5. accent
  6. view
  7. argument
  8. key (in music)
  9. mode (music)
  10. tune
  11. tone
  12. melody
Mandarin · pinyin tiáo#

Meanings · tiáo

  1. to harmonize
  2. to reconcile
  3. to blend
  4. to suit well
  5. to adjust
  6. to regulate
  7. to season (food)
  8. to provoke
  9. to incite
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Characters in this entry

調
Look up this written character
调
diào · transfer, move, change; tune
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Entries containing 調 ↗Words written with 調 ↗Words written with 调 ↗

Mandarin tones

4 · diao4

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link17same-tone records
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

調 · find source passages ↗ · 调 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 25 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

deu6 · diu6 · tiu4

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

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

character

  1. to adjust; to regulate
  2. to train; to tame; to drill
  3. (music) to tune; to play (an instrument)
  4. to recuperate under medical treatment
  5. to mix; to stir; to blend
  6. harmonious; matching
  7. to cook; to flavour
  8. to play; to display; to be rude; to be naughty
  9. to take liberties with (a woman); to flirt
  10. to throw; to toss

character

  1. to transfer; to move; to shift
  2. to select; to promote
  3. to send; to dispatch; to arrange; to allocate
  4. to exchange; to interchange
  5. to extract; to draw out; to obtain
  6. to turn; to revolve
  7. to calculate; to investigate
  8. to show off; to resort to
  9. style; form; mode
  10. mood; taste
  11. opinion; idea; expression
  12. (linguistics) accent; tone
  13. (music) tune; melody
  14. (music) key; mode

character

  1. (obsolete) alternative form of 朝 (“morning”)

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

調 · diao4 · tiao2
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source lines 101,575, 101,576
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source records調 调 [diao4] /to transfer/to move (troops or cadres)/to investigate/to enquire into/accent/view/argument/key (in music)/mode (music)/tune/tone/melody/調 调 [tiao2] /to harmonize/to reconcile/to blend/to suit well/to adjust/to regulate/to season (food)/to provoke/to incite/