Chinese Character: 绞
1. Character Basics
Radical: 纟/sī radical (silk radical)
Stroke Count: 9
Stroke Order:
2. Pronunciation
Pinyin: jiǎo (third tone)
3. Meaning
twist, wring, strangle,绞死, 绞刑
4. Common Words
- 绞死 (jiǎo sǐ) - to hang, to strangle to death
- 绞刑 (jiǎo xíng) - death by hanging,绞刑
- 绞干 (jiǎo gān) - to wring dry
- 绞肉机 (jiǎo ròu jī) - meat grinder
- 绞尽脑汁 (jiǎo jìn nǎo zhī) - to rack one's brains
- 绞车 (jiǎo chē) - winch, hoist
5. Grammar & Usage
"绞" is primarily used as a verb meaning to twist, wring, or strangle
It can be combined with other characters to form compound verbs like "绞死" (to hang) and "绞干" (to wring dry)
The phrase "绞尽脑汁" is an idiom meaning to rack one's brains
It also appears in nouns like "绞刑" (death by hanging) and "绞肉机" (meat grinder)
6. Cultural Background
In ancient China, "绞刑" was one of the Five Punishments used for serious crimes
The idiom "绞尽脑汁" reflects the Chinese cultural value of persistent thinking and problem-solving
Traditional Chinese textiles often involved twisting and wringing processes, which may relate to the original meaning of "绞"
Today, the character is more commonly used in its metaphorical sense (like "绞尽脑汁") rather than its literal meaning of strangulation
7. Example Sentence
Chinese: 他绞尽脑汁想解决这个问题。
Pinyin: Tā jiǎojìn nǎozhī xiǎng jiějué zhège wèntí.
Translation: He racked his brains trying to solve this problem.
8. Memory Tips
The character "绞" consists of the "纟" (silk) radical and "交" (cross)
You can remember it by thinking of twisting or crossing threads of silk, which relates to the meaning of twisting or wringing
The pronunciation "jiǎo" is similar to other characters we've learned like "角" (jiǎo) and "狡" (jiǎo)
The character's structure suggests something being twisted or crossed over itself