侥
Character Story & Explanation
In contemporary Chinese, 侥 appears almost exclusively in the compound 侥幸 (jiǎo xìng), meaning 'to count on luck' or 'to get away with something by chance.' It’s widely used in public discourse — for instance, Chinese state media frequently criticizes '侥幸心理' in safety inspections, anti-corruption campaigns, or pandemic compliance. A 2021 Xinhua article warned factory managers not to harbor '侥幸心理' about fire safety. The term also appears in legal documents and education policy guidelines.
The character’s form has no ancient pictographic origin; it’s a later phono-semantic compound. 尧 was borrowed for sound, not meaning — it originally referred to the legendary Emperor Yao, but here serves only as a phonetic hint. Today, Chinese learners most commonly encounter 侥 in classroom warnings like '不要有侥幸心理！' ('Don’t rely on luck!') — a real, everyday phrase heard in schools and workplaces.
Hi students! Let’s learn 侥 (jiǎo), a character that captures a very human feeling — getting something not through skill or effort, but purely by chance. It’s often used in negative or cautionary contexts, like warning someone not to rely on luck. Though it looks simple (just 8 strokes!), its meaning is quite nuanced: it implies侥幸 — a risky, undeserved, or even slightly shameful kind of luck, like passing an exam you didn’t study for.
This character always appears in compounds — you’ll never see it alone in modern Chinese. Its radical 亻 (the ‘person’ radical) tells us it relates to human behavior or attitude, not objects or nature. The right side, 尧 (yáo), is a phonetic component (it gives the sound jiǎo, though the pronunciation shifted over time). Think of 侥 as 'a person acting with reckless hope' — that’s the core idea!
Because it carries a subtle moral weight, 侥 often appears in formal writing, news reports, or academic discussions about risk, ethics, or policy — for example, when officials warn against '侥幸心理' (jiǎo xìng xīn lǐ), meaning 'a mentality of hoping for luck instead of preparing properly.' Mastering this character helps you understand not just vocabulary, but how Chinese speakers frame responsibility, fairness, and consequence.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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