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)

Derived characters

• 𥩃 𧂈

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: 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／操

Glyph origin

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

	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

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

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

Etymology 1

Pronunciation 1

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
Baxter	tshaw
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑu/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑu/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰaw/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑu/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cāo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cou1

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	操
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cāo
Middle Chinese	‹ tshawX ›
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/

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cāo (cao¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄠ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cou¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhâu
• Southern Min

  (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–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: cou¹
    • Yale: chōu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsou¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cou¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhâu
    • Hakka Romanization System: cau^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cau¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰau̯²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (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: tshaw

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤawʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰaːw/

Definitions

操

1. to conduct
2. to run
3. to control
4. to manage
5. (literary, or in compounds) to play a musical instrument; to perform music; to give an instrumental performance
6. (military) to drill
7. to have somebody overwork
8. to speak (a language or with an accent)

   一名操內地口音的女子 [MSC, trad.]
   一名操内地口音的女子 [MSC, simp.]

   yī míng cāo nèidì kǒuyīn de nǚzǐ [Pinyin]

   a female with Mainland accent

9. calisthenics
10. exercise
11. (Cantonese) to train; to practice

    操肌 [Cantonese]  ―  cou¹ gei¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to train muscles

12. a surname, Cao

Synonyms

• (to play a musical instrument):

edit

• 上演 (shàngyǎn)
• 上臺 / 上台 (shàngtái)
• 串 (literary, or in compounds)
• 做戲 / 做戏 (zuòxì)
• 出演 (chūyǎn)
• 奏 (zòu) (literary, or in compounds)
• 扮戲 / 扮戏 (bànxì)
• 搬戲 / 搬戏 (Hokkien)
• 演 (yǎn)
• 演出 (yǎnchū)
• 演唱 (yǎnchàng) (to perform a song)
• 演奏 (yǎnzòu)
• 演戲 / 演戏 (yǎnxì)
• 登臺 / 登台 (dēngtái)
• 耍 (shuǎ)
• 表演 (biǎoyǎn)

Compounds

• 一操
• 下操
• 上操 (shàngcāo)
• 保健操 (bǎojiàncāo)
• 出操
• 別鶴操 / 别鹤操
• 可操左券
• 同室操戈 (tóngshìcāogē)
• 器械體操 / 器械体操
• 團體操 / 团体操 (tuántǐcāo)
• 地板操
• 大會操 / 大会操
• 工間操 / 工间操
• 帶俸差操 / 带俸差操
• 徒手操
• 搦管操觚
• 操之在我
• 操之過急 / 操之过急 (cāozhīguòjí)
• 操井臼
• 操作 (cāozuò)
• 操作員 / 操作员 (cāozuòyuán)
• 操作定義 / 操作定义
• 操兵
• 操典 (cāodiǎn)
• 操刀 (cāodāo)
• 操刀傷錦 / 操刀伤锦
• 操刀必割
• 操切 (cāoqiè)
• 操券
• 操勞 / 操劳 (cāoláo)
• 操場 / 操场 (cāochǎng)
• 操奇計贏 / 操奇计赢
• 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
• 操槍 / 操枪
• 操法
• 操演 (cāoyǎn)
• 操琴 (cāoqín)
• 操瓶湧泉 / 操瓶涌泉
• 擐甲操戈
• 操盤 / 操盘 (cāopán)
• 操神 (cāoshén)
• 操筆 / 操笔
• 操練 / 操练 (cāoliàn)
• 操縵 / 操缦
• 操縱 / 操纵 (cāozòng)
• 操縱自如 / 操纵自如
• 操縱臺 / 操纵台
• 操翰成章
• 操舟
• 操觚 (cāogū)
• 操觚染翰
• 操防
• 收心操
• 改操
• 早操 (zǎocāo)
• 晨操
• 會操 / 会操 (huìcāo)
• 松柏節操 / 松柏节操
• 松筠之操
• 柏舟操
• 清操
• 潔操履 / 洁操履
• 炮操
• 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)
• 自操井臼
• 自由體操 / 自由体操 (zìyóu tǐcāo)
• 蛙人操
• 血管操
• 親操井臼 / 亲操井臼
• 軍操 / 军操
• 重操舊業 / 重操旧业 (chóngcāojiùyè)
• 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

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
Baxter	tshawH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰawH/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑuH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cou3

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	操
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cāo
Middle Chinese	‹ tshawH ›
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/

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cāo, cào (cao¹, cao⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄠ, ㄘㄠˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cou³ / cou¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhâu
• Southern Min (Hokkien, 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–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: cou³ / cou¹
    • Yale: chou / chōu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsou³ / tsou¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cou³ / cou¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰou̯³³/, /t͡sʰou̯⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhâu
    • Hakka Romanization System: cau^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cau¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰau̯²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (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: tshawH

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤawʔ-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰaːws/

Definitions

操

1. conduct; behaviour

Compounds

• 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 is a variant form of 肏).

Japanese

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 操

操

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. chastity
2. fidelity
3. honor
4. 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)

Etymology 1

Compound of 御 (mi, “honorific prefix emphasizing beauty”) +‎ 青 (ao, “green/blue”), in the sense of the quality of an unchanging beautiful green in the face of anything, similar to an evergreen tree. The medial -s- may represent epenthesis between two vowels, or it may be cognate with Korean interfix ㅅ (-s-) used to mark possession, much like German -s-. See also 小雨 (kosame, “drizzle”), 霧雨 (kirisame, “drizzle”), 春雨 (harusame, “spring rain”), and 稲 (shine, “rice”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) みさお [mìsáó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [mʲisa̠o̞]

Noun

操(みさお) • (misao) 

1. fidelity, honor, constancy
2. chastity (of a woman); faithfulness (e.g. to one's spouse)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 操(みさお)を守(まも)る (misao o mamoru)
• 操(みさお)を立(た)てる (misao o tateru)
• 操(みさお)を捧(ささ)げる (misao o sasageru)
• 操(みさお)を破(やぶ)る (misao o yaburu)

Proper noun

操(みさお) • (Misao) 

1. a male given name

References

1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

“to control; etc.”

From Middle Chinese 操 (MC tshaw, “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 tshawH, “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

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

操

Wikisource 操 (eumhun 잡을 조 (jabeul jo))

1. hanja form^? of 조 (“conduct; behaviour”)
2. hanja form^? of 조 (“to control; to manage”)
3. hanja form^? of 조 (“to drill; to train”)
4. hanja form^? of 조 (“to operate; to manipulate”)

Compounds

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

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

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