To float or drift on the surface of water.
To drift; to bleach; pretty or beautiful (as in 漂亮). Water (氵) makes a ticket (票) float and wash bright.
漂
Common Usage & Traps
- 漂亮 — beautiful; pretty
- 漂漂亮亮 — neat and pretty
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很漂很漂亮漂 alone does not mean pretty; the meaning 'beautiful' only appears in the two-syllable word 漂亮.
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漂的漂亮的漂亮 must be used as a full word; 漂 by itself is not an adjective.
Why can't I just say 漂 to mean 'pretty'?
漂 alone does not mean 'pretty'; you need the full word 漂亮.
In Mandarin, many adjectives are two-syllable words. 漂亮 is the standard word for 'beautiful' or 'pretty'. The single character 漂 is not used by itself as an adjective in modern Chinese. It appears in other words like 漂浮 (piāo fú, to float) or 漂流 (piāo liú, to drift), where it relates to floating or drifting.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning 'pretty' | 漂亮 | 漂 |
| Example sentence | 她很漂亮。 | 她很漂。 |
| Part of speech | adjective (two-syllable) | not a standalone adjective |
What is the difference between 漂 and 飘?
漂 is used for floating on water, while 飘 is used for floating in the air.
Both characters can mean 'to float' or 'to drift', but they are used in different contexts. 漂 has the water radical 氵, so it is used for things floating on water, like a boat or a leaf on a river. 飘 has the wind radical 风, so it is used for things floating in the air, like a balloon or a flag in the wind.
| Dimension | 漂 | 飘 |
|---|---|---|
| Radical | 氵 (water) | 风 (wind) |
| Typical context | on water | in the air |
| Example | 树叶漂在水上。 | 气球飘在空中。 |
Appears in Stories 1 story
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
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休息两星期，七天住医院医生人很好，房间大 漂亮 。
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