操

See also: 肏

操	U+64CD, 操 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-64CD

← 擌
[U+64CC]

CJK Unified Ideographs

擎 →
[U+64CE]

Translingual

Han character

操 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+13, 16 strokes, cangjie input 手口口木 (QRRD), four-corner 5609₄, composition ⿰扌喿)

References

KangXi: page 458, character 15

Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 12806

Dae Jaweon: page 807, character 4

Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1969, character 3

Unihan data for U+64CD

Chinese

trad.		操
simp. ^#		操
alternative forms		撡

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 操
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (喿) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
藻	*ʔsaːwʔ
澡	*ʔslaːwʔ
璪	*ʔsaːwʔ
繰	ʔsaːwʔ, saːw, *sʰaw
躁	*ʔsaːws
趮	*ʔsaːws
操	sʰaːw, sʰaːws
幧	sʰaːw, sʰaw
懆	*sʰaːwʔ
鄵	*sʰaːws
鐰	zaːw, sʰaw
臊	saːw, saːws
鱢	*saːw
燥	saːwʔ, saːws
噪	*saːws
髞	*saːws
喿	*saːws
譟	*saːws
劋	ʔsawʔ, ʔseːwʔ
橾	soːwʔ, srow

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *sʰaːw, *sʰaːws) : semantic 手 (“hand”) + phonetic 喿 (OC *saːws).

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): cāo (cao¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄘㄠ
Cantonese (Jyutping): cou¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhâu
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): chhau / chho / chho͘
(Teochew, Peng'im): cao¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: cāo
  - Zhuyin: ㄘㄠ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cao
  - Wade–Giles: tsʻao¹
  - Yale: tsāu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsau
  - Palladius: цао (cao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: cou¹
  - Yale: chōu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsou¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: cou¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhâu
  - Hakka Romanization System: cau´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: cau¹
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰau̯²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhau
  - Tâi-lô: tshau
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhaw
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰau³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰau⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chho
  - Tâi-lô: tsho
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhoy
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /t͡sʰo⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰɤ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chho͘
  - Tâi-lô: tshoo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhof
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰɔ³³/

Note:

chhau - vernacular;
chho/chho͘ - literary.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: cao¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshau
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰau³³/

Middle Chinese: /t͡sʰɑu/

Rime
Character	操
Reading #	1/3
Initial (聲)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	七刀切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑu/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑu/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰaw/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑu/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑu/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cāo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cou¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤawʔ/
(Zhengzhang): /*sʰaːw/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	操
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cāo
Middle Chinese	‹ tshaw^X ›
Old Chinese	/*[tsʰ]ˁawʔ/
English	grasp (v.)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	操
Reading #	1/2
No.	16571
Phonetic component	喿
Rime group	宵
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	操
Old Chinese	/*sʰaːw/

Definitions

操

to conduct
to run
to control
to manage
(military) to drill
to have sb. overwork
to speak (an accent)
calisthenics
exercise
a surname

Compounds

Derived terms from 操

一操
上操 (shàngcāo)
下操
保健操 (bǎojiàncāo)
出操
可操左券
同室操戈 (tóngshìcāogē)
地板操
徒手操
搦管操觚
操之在我
操井臼
操作 (cāozuò)
操兵
操典 (cāodiǎn)
操刀 (cāodāo)
操刀必割
操切 (cāoqiè)
操券
操履
操左券
操心 (cāoxīn)
操戈
操戈入室
操持 (cāochí)
操控 (cāokòng)
操斧伐柯
操暴
操法
操演 (cāoyǎn)

操琴 (cāoqín)
操神 (cāoshén)
操翰成章
操舟
操觚 (cāogū)
操觚染翰
操防
擐甲操戈
收心操
改操
早操 (zǎocāo)
晨操
松筠之操
柏舟操
清操
炮操
自操井臼
蛙人操
血管操
別鶴操／别鹤操
器械體操／器械体操
團體操／团体操 (tuántǐcāo)
大會操／大会操
工間操／工间操
帶俸差操／带俸差操
操之過急／操之过急 (cāozhīguòjí)
操作員／操作员 (cāozuòyuán)
操作定義／操作定义
操刀傷錦／操刀伤锦

操勞／操劳 (cāoláo)
操場／操场 (cāochǎng)
操奇計贏／操奇计赢
操槍／操枪
操瓶湧泉／操瓶涌泉
操盤／操盘 (cāopán)
操筆／操笔
操練／操练 (cāoliàn)
操縱／操纵 (cāozòng)
操縱自如／操纵自如
操縱臺／操纵台
操縵／操缦
會操／会操
松柏節操／松柏节操
潔操履／洁操履
率爾操觚／率尔操觚
穩操勝券／稳操胜券 (wěncāoshèngquàn)
穩操勝算／稳操胜算
穩操左券／稳操左券
美容體操／美容体操 (měiróng tǐcāo)
自由體操／自由体操 (zìyóu tǐcāo)
親操井臼／亲操井臼
軍操／军操
重操舊業／重操旧业
韻律操／韵律操
韻律體操／韵律体操
頭腦體操／头脑体操
風操／风操
體操／体操 (tǐcāo)

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): cāo, cào (cao¹, cao⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄘㄠ, ㄘㄠˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): cou³, cou¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhâu
Min Nan (POJ): chhau / chhó / chho / chho͘ / chhò / chhò͘

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: cāo
  - Zhuyin: ㄘㄠ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cao
  - Wade–Giles: tsʻao¹
  - Yale: tsāu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsau
  - Palladius: цао (cao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, literary)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: cào
  - Zhuyin: ㄘㄠˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cào
  - Wade–Giles: tsʻao⁴
  - Yale: tsàu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsaw
  - Palladius: цао (cao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑʊ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: cou³, cou¹
  - Yale: chou, chōu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsou³, tsou¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: cou³, cou¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰou̯³³/, /t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhâu
  - Hakka Romanization System: cau´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: cau¹
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰau̯²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhau
  - Tâi-lô: tshau
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhaw
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰau³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰau⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhó
  - Tâi-lô: tshó
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhoir
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰo⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰɤ⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chho
  - Tâi-lô: tsho
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhoy
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /t͡sʰo⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰɤ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chho͘
  - Tâi-lô: tshoo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhof
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰɔ³³/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhò
  - Tâi-lô: tshò
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhoix
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰo²¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰɤ²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰo¹¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhò͘
  - Tâi-lô: tshòo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zhox
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰɔ⁴¹/

Note:

chhau/chhó - vernacular;
chho/chho͘ - literary;
chhò/chhò͘ - literary (limited, e.g. 曹操).

Middle Chinese: /t͡sʰɑu^H/

Rime
Character	操
Reading #	3/3
Initial (聲)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	七到切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰaw^H/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑu^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cou³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤawʔ-s/
(Zhengzhang): /*sʰaːws/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	操
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cāo
Middle Chinese	‹ tshaw^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[tsʰ]ˁawʔ-s/
English	(what is grasped:) principles
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	操
Reading #	2/2
No.	16575
Phonetic component	喿
Rime group	宵
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	操
Old Chinese	/*sʰaːws/

Definitions

操

conduct; behaviour

Compounds

Derived terms from 操

匪躬之操
德操
情操 (qíngcāo)

操守 (cāoshǒu)
操持 (cāochí)
操行 (cāoxíng)

節操／节操 (jiécāo)
貞操／贞操 (zhēncāo)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 操 – see 肏 (“to fuck; to have sex with someone; etc.”). (This character, 操, is a variant form of 肏.)

Japanese

Kanji

操

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

chastity
fidelity
honor
faith

Readings

Go-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
Kan-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
Kun: あやつる (ayatsuru, 操る, Jōyō); みさお (misao, 操, Jōyō); とる (toru, 操る)

Proper noun

操(みさお) • (Misao)

a male given name

Korean

Etymology

“to control; etc.”

From Middle Chinese 操 (MC t͡sʰɑu, “to grasp”).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean 초ᇢ (Yale: chwow) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean 조 (cwo)^訓 (Yale: cwo) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

“conduct; behaviour”

From Middle Chinese 操 (MC t͡sʰɑu^H, “principles”).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean 초ᇢ〮 (Yale: chwów) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.

Pronunciation

(conduct; to control; to drill; to operate; etc.):
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕo̞]
- Phonetic hangul: [조]
(in 操鍊, 操船, 操心, 操業, 操典, 操車, and 操舵):
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕo̞(ː)]
- Phonetic hangul: [조(ː)]
  - Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Wikisource操 (eumhun 잡을 조 (jabeul jo))

Hanja form^? of 조 (“conduct; behaviour”).
Hanja form^? of 조 (“to control; to manage”).
Hanja form^? of 조 (“to drill; to train”).
Hanja form^? of 조 (“to operate; to manipulate”).

Compounds

조심 (操心, josim)
조종 (操縱, jojong)
지조 (志操, jijo)
조작 (操作, jojak)
체조 (體操, chejo)
조업 (操業, jo'eop)
절조 (節操, jeoljo)
조련 (操鍊, joryeon)
정조 (情操, jeongjo)
조고 (操觚, jogo)
정조 (貞操, jeongjo)
조선 (操船, joseon)
조신 (操身, josin)
덕조 (德操, deokjo)
조수 (操守, josu)
조전 (操典, jojeon)
조차 (操車, jocha)
조타 (操舵, jota)

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

操: Hán Nôm readings: thao, tháo, thạo, xáo, thảo

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.