皁 (zào) - Black & servant

皁Tone 4

zào ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 白

悦丈

皁 · zào

Black;

servant;

runner;

an ancient term for a runner or low-ranking official, often dressed in black;

also an archaic form for 'soap'.

Blackservantrunner

Usage highlights

lowsoap podblack colorsoapberryyamen runnerblack clothing

Synonyms

  • 黑— black (color)
  • 皂— soap; black (modern variant)
  • 隶— servant; clerk

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was a low-ranking runner (皁隶) in the yamen.
  • In ancient times, soap (皁荚) was made from the Chinese honey locust.
  • The official wore a black (皁色) uniform.

Collocations

  • low-ranking runner(皁隶)
  • soap pod(皁荚)
  • black color(皁色)
  • soapberry(无患子, sometimes called 皁子)
  • yamen runner(皁役)
  • black clothing(皁衣)

Idioms

  • No distinction between noble and base(不分皁白)
  • Black and white clearly distinguished(皁白分明)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, '皁' referred to low-ranking government servants or runners, often identified by their black clothing.
  • The character is historically connected to the concept of 'black' and was used in terms related to cleaning agents like soap pods.

FAQ