敲 (qiāo) - To knock & to beat

敲Tone 1

qiāo ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

器情

敲 · qiāo

To knock;

to beat;

to strike;

to hit;

to tap;

to rap.

To knockto beatto strike

Usage highlights

Knock on the doorStrike a gongBeat a drumType on a keyboardTap lightlyKnock down

Synonyms

  • 打— to hit; to beat
  • 击— to strike; to hit
  • 叩— to knock; to tap

Antonyms

  • 抚— to stroke; to caress
  • 摸— to touch gently

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Please knock on the door before entering (敲门).
  • The teacher tapped on the blackboard to get attention (敲黑板).
  • He was beaten with a stick (用棍子敲打).
  • The programmer was typing code (敲代码).

Collocations

  • Knock on the door(敲门)
  • Strike a gong(敲锣)
  • Beat a drum(敲鼓)
  • Type on a keyboard(敲键盘)
  • Tap lightly(轻敲)
  • Knock down(敲掉)

Idioms

  • Beat at the side to strike at the center(旁敲侧击)
  • Extort and勒索(敲诈勒索)
  • Knock on the door and ask for a brick(敲门问砖)
  • Zero knock zero strike(零敲碎打)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 敲 depicts the action of striking or beating, originally referring to hitting with a stick or hammer.
  • In Chinese culture, knocking before entering shows respect for privacy and is considered proper etiquette.
  • The character is used in various cultural contexts from musical instruments (敲锣打鼓) to modern computing (敲代码).

FAQ