(yáo) - Ballad, folk song, popular song & rumor, unfounded story.

Tone 2

yáo | 17 strokes | radical:

· yáo

Ballad, folk song, popular song;

rumor, unfounded story.

Ballad, folk song, popular songrumor, unfounded story.

Usage highlights

folk songchildren's songancient balladspreading rumorsrumor millfolk rhyme

Synonyms

  • song (more general term)
  • tune, melody

Antonyms

  • fact, reality (antonym to the 'rumor' sense)
  • truth, genuine

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She sang a beautiful folk ballad (民謡).
  • That's just an unfounded rumor (流言蜚謡).
  • He composed a children's song (童謡).
  • Ancient ballads tell stories of heroes (古謡).

Collocations

  • folk song(民謡)
  • children's song(童謡)
  • ancient ballad(古謡)
  • spreading rumors(造謡)
  • rumor mill(謡传)
  • folk rhyme(謡谚)

Idioms

  • Spreading rumors and causing trouble(造謡惑众)
  • Rumors spread everywhere(謡言四起)
  • Folk songs and popular rhymes(风謡俗曲)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, folk ballads (謡) were considered reflections of public sentiment and sometimes used by officials to gauge popular opinion.
  • The character appears in historical texts documenting folk traditions and oral literature.
  • Ballads were an important form of cultural transmission before widespread literacy.

FAQ