# 窈窕
## Chinese
### Etymology

First syllable 窈 (OC *qiːwʔ, “deep, dim”) is probably cognate to 幽 (OC *qɯw, “dark”); second syllable 窕 (OC *l'eːwʔ, “to bore, to perforate”) is probably related to 竅 (OC *kʰleːwɢs, “hole”) (Schuessler, 2007)

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yǎotiǎo
    (Zhuyin): ㄧㄠˇ ㄊㄧㄠˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): miu$^5$ tiu$^5$ / jiu$^2$ tiu$^5$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): iáu-thiáu
    (Teochew, Peng'im): iou$^2$ tiou$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yǎotiǎo [Phonetic: yáotiǎo]
*** Zhuyin: ㄧㄠˇ ㄊㄧㄠˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yǎotiǎo
*** Wade–Giles: yao$^3$-tʻiao$^3$
*** Yale: yǎu-tyǎu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeauteau
*** Palladius: яотяо (jaotjao)
*** Sinological IPA : /jɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ tʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: miu$^5$ tiu$^5$ / jiu$^2$ tiu$^5$
*** Yale: míuh tíuh / yíu tíuh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: miu$^5$ tiu$^5$ / jiu$^2$ tiu$^5$
*** Guangdong Romanization: miu$^5$ tiu$^5$ / yiu$^2$ tiu$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /miːu̯¹³ tʰiːu̯¹³/, /jiːu̯³⁵ tʰiːu̯¹³/
* miu5 tiu5 - vernacular;
* jiu2 tiu5 - literary.
* Middle Chinese: 'ewX dewX
Rime :
| Character | 窈 | 窕 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 影 (34) | 定 (7) |
| Final (韻) | 蕭 (93) | 蕭 (93) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | IV | IV |
| Fanqie | 烏皎切 | 徒了切 |
| Baxter | 'ewX | dewX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ʔeu$^X$/ | /deu$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ʔeu$^X$/ | /deu$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ʔeu$^X$/ | /deu$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ʔɛw$^X$/ | /dɛw$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /ʔeu$^X$/ | /deu$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /ieu$^X$/ | /dieu$^X$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ʔieu$^X$/ | /dʱieu$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | yǎo | diào |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | jiu$^2$ | diu$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔˤ[e]wʔ lˤ[e]wʔ/
    (Zhengzhang): /*qiːwʔ l'eːwʔ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 窈 | 窕 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | yǎo | tiǎo |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ ʔew$^X$ › | ‹ dew$^X$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*ʔˁ[e]wʔ/ | /*lˁ[e]wʔ/ |
| English | ʔewX-dewX hidden; deep | 窈窕 beautiful |
| 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 | 窈 | 窕 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 15634 | 16893 |
| Phonetic component | 幼 | 兆 |
| Rime group | 幽 | 宵 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | | 窕 |
| Old Chinese | /*qiːwʔ/ | /*l'eːwʔ/ |

### Adjective

窈窕
* (literary, of a woman) quiet and elegant; graceful and fair; gentle and beautiful
    From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Yǎotiǎo shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎoqiú. [Pinyin]
    The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady: For our prince a good mate she.
* (literary, of a woman) seductive; flirtatious
* (literary) deep; secluded; profound
    From: Tao Yuanming, 《歸去來辭》 "Verses on Returning"
    Huò mìng jīnchē, huò zhào gūzhōu. Jì yǎotiǎo yǐ xún hè, yì qíqū ér jīng qiū. [Pinyin]
    I either called covered wagons, or rowed lonely boats; already following gullies deep, then crossing hills rough.

#### Derived terms

* 窈窕淑女 (yǎotiǎoshūnǚ)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 窈窕(ようちょう) (yōchō)
* → Korean: 요조(窈窕) (yojo)
* → Vietnamese: yểu điệu (窈窕)