xiào

Xiào is a Mandarin pinyin syllable that corresponds to several Chinese characters, each with a distinct meaning. In common usage, xiào often represents a fourth-tone syllable and can refer to several different words depending on the character chosen. The most frequently encountered characters include 笑, 孝, 效, and 啈? Wait, correct: 笑, 孝, 效, and 啸. Each has its own semantic field and typical compounds.

The character 笑 means “to laugh” or “to smile.” It appears in words such as 笑话 (joke), 笑容 (smile), and 笑声 (laughter). It conveys amusement, humor, or a smiling expression.

The character 孝 signifies “filial piety” or dutiful respect toward one’s parents and ancestors. It features in terms like 孝顺 (to be filial), 孝道 (the virtue of filial piety), and is a central concept in Confucian ethics.

The character 效 carries the sense of “effect,” “efficacy,” or “to imitate.” It appears in 结果 or 效果 (effect), 效率 (efficiency), and 效法 (to imitate, to model after).

The character 啈? The commonly used form is 啸, meaning “to howl” or “to whistle,” as in 啸声 (howling sound) or 啸风 (whistling wind). It is relatively specialized but appears in literary and descriptive contexts.

In summary, xiào can refer to at least four distinct characters with related but separate meanings: laughter, filial piety, effect/efficacy/imitation, and howling. The precise meaning is determined by the character and the word in which it appears.