This is the Chinese character for small or little. In pinyin - the spelled sound and official phonetic system - it is xiao.
To my ears, the X is pronounced in between the English S and the SH. Xiao, then, is pronounced: shiao... or she-ow (and you can thank me for not getting into tones).
To my ears, the X is pronounced in between the English S and the SH. Xiao, then, is pronounced: shiao... or she-ow (and you can thank me for not getting into tones).
You can remember this character by visualizing the arms down, legs together... in contrast to the character for big or large, da - 大, which has the arms up, legs apart.
In China, xiao as a preface makes a common term of endearment. You often hear a waitress called xiao mei (little sister). Among friends, xiao is put before the personal name. For instance, my Chinese name is Fu Lian, so, if I were younger, people close to me and in the same generation could call me Xiao Fu.
The most famous xiao is Deng Xiaoping, 鄧小平, the diminutive paramount leader of China from 1978 to 1992 who made a big impact by raising millions out of poverty. Perhaps the most famous line attributed to him is: To get rich is glorious!
Shenzhen, 2010
Propaganda posters, and these days billboards, are evident throughout China. This one, featuring Deng Xiaoping, says: Continue the party's basic direction without hesitation for 100 years.
The modern city of Shenzhen you see behind Mr Deng was little more than a fishing village when I first entered China in 1985. Today it is a thriving metropolis of 14 million people. That's no xiao feat.
X is the letter at Alphabe-Thursday and I'm also linking to Signs, Signs.
X is the letter at Alphabe-Thursday and I'm also linking to Signs, Signs.
