巧 (qiǎo) - skillful, clever, ingenious & opportune, coincidental

巧Tone 3

qiǎo ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 工

器情

巧 · qiǎo

skillful, clever, ingenious;

opportune, coincidental;

artful, deceitful.

skillful, clever, ingeniousopportune, coincidentalartful, deceitful.

Usage highlights

SkillfulCoincidenceIngeniousSkillful handsEloquent speechCrafty

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She is very skillful with her hands (手巧).
  • What a coincidence!(真巧!)
  • This is a clever design (巧妙的设计).
  • He speaks eloquently (巧言).

Collocations

  • Skillful(灵巧)
  • Coincidence(巧合)
  • Ingenious(巧妙)
  • Skillful hands(巧手)
  • Eloquent speech(巧言)
  • Crafty(巧诈)

Idioms

  • Skillful tongue like a spring(巧舌如簧)
  • Sheer luck(弄巧成拙)
  • Opportunely meet(恰巧相逢)
  • Ingenious and exquisite(精巧别致)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese culture, '巧' is associated with the Qixi Festival (Double Seventh Festival), also known as the 'Begging for Skills Festival' (乞巧节), where women traditionally prayed for dexterity in needlework.
  • The character embodies both positive connotations of skill and intelligence, and negative connotations of cunning or deceit when overused.

FAQ