调

• Pinyin: diào
• Hanzi breakdown: 调 = 讠(speech) + 周 (around/cycle)

Meaning

To transfer; to reassign; to shift. Used when moving personnel, resources, or positions from one place to another.

In this pronunciation (diào, 4th tone), the primary meaning is to transfer or reassign, especially in work or administrative contexts. Different from 调 (tiáo, 2nd tone), which means to adjust or regulate.

Examples

1. 公司把他从上海调到了北京。 The company transferred him from Shanghai to Beijing.
2. 领导决定调一批物资到灾区。 The leadership decided to transfer a batch of supplies to the disaster area.
3. 他被调到了另一个部门工作。 He was reassigned to work in another department.

Usage Guide

Context: work, administration

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 她被调到总公司去了。(She was transferred to the headquarters.)
• 上级调了更多人手来帮忙。(The superiors transferred more people to help.)

Don't Say

• 我调了电视的频道 (For changing TV channels, use 换 — diào is specifically for transferring people or resources)

Origin & History

The character 调 combines 讠(speech radical) and 周 (cycle, around), originally meaning to harmonise or coordinate, later extended to mean transfer or reassign.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal