敲

• Pinyin: qiāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 敲 = 高 (tall, phonetic) + 攴/攵 (strike), to knock/tap

Meaning

To knock; to tap; to strike. Hitting something lightly to make a sound.

Common collocations: 敲门 (knock on door), 敲鼓 (beat drum), 敲键盘 (type on keyboard). Figurative: 敲警钟 (sound alarm/warning), 敲竹杠 (extort/rip off).

Examples

1. 有人在敲门，你去开一下。 Someone is knocking on the door, go open it.
2. 他用手指敲着桌子，显得很不耐烦。 He tapped his fingers on the table, looking impatient.
3. 老师用粉笔敲了敲黑板。 The teacher tapped the blackboard with chalk.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, action

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 请先敲门再进来。(Please knock before entering.)
• 他敲了半天门也没人开。(He knocked for a long time but no one answered.)

Don't Say

• 敲响门。(Redundant — just use 敲门 or 敲响了门)

Origin & History

攴/攵 (strike) + 高 (tall, phonetic). To strike something, making a knocking sound.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal