廖 (liào) - Liao — a Chinese surname & ancient state name

廖Tone 4

liào ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

嘹林

廖 · liào

Liao — a Chinese surname;

ancient state name;

also means sparse, few.

Liao — a Chinese surnameancient state namealso means sparse, few.

Usage highlights

Surname LiaoLiao KingdomVery few peopleLiao ClanLiao Ancestral HallLiao Family

Synonyms

  • 稀— sparse, rare
  • 少— few, little

Antonyms

  • 多— many, much
  • 密— dense, thick

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • My classmate's surname is Liao (廖同学).
  • The Liao Kingdom existed during the Spring and Autumn period (廖国).
  • There are few people in the village (廖廖无几).
  • He is a descendant of the Liao family (廖氏后人).

Collocations

  • Surname Liao(廖姓)
  • Liao Kingdom(廖国)
  • Very few people(廖廖无几)
  • Liao Clan(廖氏)
  • Liao Ancestral Hall(廖氏宗祠)
  • Liao Family(廖家)

Idioms

  • Extremely few, very scarce(廖廖无几)
  • Liao Ruo Morning Stars(廖若晨星)
  • Liao Liao Few Words(廖廖数语)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Liao is primarily known as a Chinese surname, ranking around 60th in population among Chinese surnames.
  • The character originally meant 'sparse' or 'few' in ancient Chinese, though this meaning is now rare in modern usage.
  • The Liao surname originated from the ancient Liao Kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty, with descendants taking the state name as their surname.

FAQ