繇 (yáo) - Yáo — ancient term for a type of & also an archaic variant of 徭 (corvée labor)

繇Tone 2

yáo ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

繇 · yáo

Yáo — ancient term for a type of ballad or folk song;

also an archaic variant of 徭 (corvée labor) and 谣 (ballad);

used in historical names.

Yáo — ancient term for a type ofalso an archaic variant of 徭 (corvée labor)used in historical names.

Usage highlights

Ancient balladsCorvée laborZhong YaoYao textDivination yaoFu Yao

Synonyms

  • 谣— ballad, folk song
  • 徭— corvée labor

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient ballads were called yao (繇).
  • Corvée labor in ancient times (徭役) was sometimes written as 繇役.
  • He studied the historical figure Zhong Yao (钟繇).
  • This character appears in classical texts like the Book of Songs (诗经).

Collocations

  • Ancient ballads(古繇)
  • Corvée labor(徭役)
  • Zhong Yao(钟繇)
  • Yao text(繇辞)
  • Divination yao(卜繇)
  • Fu Yao(阜繇)

Idioms

  • The ballads of Chu(楚繇)
  • Yao of divination(卜繇)
  • Fu Yao's legacy(阜繇之遗)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Appears in early Chinese texts as a term for folk songs or divination verses.
  • Used in historical names, most notably Zhong Yao (钟繇), a calligrapher and politician of the Three Kingdoms period.
  • Sometimes interchangeable with 徭 (corvée) and 谣 (ballad) in classical usage.

FAQ