挑 meaning in English

tiāo

to carry on a shoulder pole; to choose

HSK 4verb9 strokes

Meaning of 挑

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

tiāo

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

tiǎo

to raise
to dig up
to poke
to prick
to incite
to stir up

How to use 挑

In the first tone, 挑 (tiāo) usually means to choose or pick, and it is very common when shopping or comparing options. In the third tone, 挑 (tiǎo) means to poke, raise, or stir up, and appears in words like 挑战 (tiǎozhàn) and 挑起 (tiǎoqǐ). Example: 你帮我挑一件衣服吧。(Nǐ bāng wǒ tiāo yí jiàn yīfu ba.) Help me pick out a piece of clothing.

挑 has the hand radical 扌 on the left and 兆 (zhào) on the right. Picture a hand reaching into a pile of many things to pick out the one you want.

Common mistake: Learners often say 挑战 with a first tone as tiāozhàn, but it is tiǎozhàn, while 挑选 (tiāoxuǎn) keeps the first tone. Also do not confuse 挑 with 桃 (táo, peach) or 逃 (táo, to flee), which share the 兆 part but have different radicals.

挑 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

她tā说shuō她tā喜xǐ欢huān那nà个ge挑tiǎo战zhàn。

She said she enjoyed the challenge.

汤tāng姆mǔ喜xǐ欢huān挑tiǎo战zhàn自zì己jǐ。

Tom likes challenging himself.

老lǎo实shí说shuō，世shì界jiè在zài运yùn转zhuàn，有yǒu用yòng的de人rén万wàn里lǐ挑tiāo一yī。

To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.

没méi有yǒu什shén么me比bǐ挑tiāo别bié人rén的de错cuò更gèng容róng易yì的de事shì了le。

Nothing is easier than finding fault with others.

这zhè只zhǐ狗gǒu挑tiāo了le。

This dog jumped.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

挑 tiāo · to carry on a shoulder pole · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 挑.

挑战	tiǎozhàn	to challenge; to take on a challenge; a challenge
挑选	tiāoxuǎn	to choose; to select
挑剔	tiāoti	picky; fussy
挑起	tiǎoqǐ	to provoke; to stir up
挑衅	tiǎoxìn	to provoke; provocation
挑逗	tiǎodòu	to provoke; to entice
单挑	dāntiǎo	to pick; to choose
挑战者	tiǎozhànzhě	challenger
无可挑剔	wúkětiāoti	excellent in every respect; flawless
挑明	tiǎomíng	to illuminate; to open up (a topic)
挑拨	tiǎobō	to incite disharmony; to instigate

Questions about 挑

What does 挑 mean?

挑 (tiāo) means "to carry on a shoulder pole; to choose" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 挑?

挑 is made of 1 character: 挑 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.

Is 挑 an HSK word?

Yes. 挑 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do I know whether 挑 is read tiāo or tiǎo?

Use tiāo when the meaning is choosing, picking, or carrying with a shoulder pole, as in 挑选 and 挑剔. Use tiǎo when the meaning is raising, poking, or provoking, as in 挑战, 挑起, and 挑衅.

What is the difference between 挑 and 选 when choosing something?

Both can mean to choose, but 挑 (tiāo) suggests carefully picking through options by hand or by preference, and it is more casual. 选 (xuǎn) is more neutral and formal, and it is used for things like elections or selecting candidates.