寥 liáo — sparse, vast · English

寥

liáo

sparse, vast

At a glance · 寥

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从宀翏声，形声字，本指空虚、空旷。隶楷作「寥」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「寥」本指空阔稀少，引申为稀疏、寂寥。

Structure

形声字，宀为意符，翏为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinliáo

Radical宀

Strokes14

UnicodeU+5BE5

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English sparse, vast Sparse, few; vast, empty.

Français clairsemé, vaste Clairsemé, peu; vaste, vide.

Español escaso, vasto Escaso, poco; vasto, vacío.

العربية قليل، فسيح قليل أو فسيح أو خالٍ.

Русский редкий, обширный Редкий, немногий; обширный, пустой.

Common words

寥liáosparse
寥落liáo luòsparse

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