Wiktionary
n. Type of Chinese flute.
Wikipedia
Xiao may refer to:
- Xiào, “filial piety", or "being good to parents", a virtue in Chinese culture
- Xiao (flute), a Chinese end-blown flute
- Xiao (rank), a rank used for field officers in the Chinese military
- Xiao County, in Anhui, China
- Xiao Mountain, a range of mountains in Henan, China, or the surrounding Xiao region
- Xiao River, a tributary of the Xiang River, in Hunan, China
- Xiao (mythology), certain legendary creatures in Chinese mythology
Xiao is a Chinese surname. In the Wade-Giles system of romanization, it is rendered as Hsiao. It may also be romanized as Siaw, Siew, Siow, Seow or Siu.
A 1977 study found that it was the 20th most common Chinese surname in the world. It is said to be the 30th most common in China.
The xiao (, pronounced ) is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo , dòng meaning "hole." An ancient name for the xiāo is shùzhúdí (豎竹笛, lit. "vertical bamboo flute", ) but the name xiāo in ancient times also included the side-blown bamboo flute, dizi.
The xiāo is a very ancient Chinese instrument usually thought to have developed from a simple end-blown flute used by the Qiang people of Southwest China in ancient period.
Xiao (Wade–Giles: Hsiao) is the rank held by field officers in the military of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The People's Liberation Army uses four grades while the Republic of China uses only three, with the rank equivalent to the fourth being treated as a general officer rank. This difference is found in other militaries as well. For example. in the British Army a brigadier is considered a field officer, while the equivalent rank in the United States Army, brigadier general, is considered a general officer. The PLA use the same rank names for all services, prefixed by Hai Jun (Naval Force) or Kong Jun (Air Force). While the ROC does the same for enlisted ranks and company-grade officers, it has distinct names for the higher naval ranks.
Rank
Literal
translation
Army
translation
Navy
translation
PLA
Ground Force
insignia
PLA
Naval Force
insignia
PLA
Air Force
insignia
ROC Army
insignia
NATO
rank
equivalent
Da Xiao
Grand Field Officer
Senior Colonel
Commodore
PLA Senior Colonel.svg
N/A
OF-6
Shang Xiao
(Shang Hsiao)
Senior Field Officer
Colonel
Captain
PLA Colonel.svg
ROCA-COL.jpg
OF-5
Zhong Xiao
(Chung Hsiao)
Middle Field Officer
Lieutenant Colonel
Commander
PLA Lieutenant Colonel.svg
ROCA-LTCOL.jpg
OF-4
Shao Xiao
(Shao Hsiao)
Junior Field Officer
Major
Lieutenant Commander
PLA Major.svg
ROCA-MAJ.jpg
OF-3
In Chinese mythology, the xiao is the name of several creatures, including the xiao "a long-armed ape" or "a four-winged bird" and shanxiao "mischievous, one-legged mountain spirit". Furthermore, some western sources misspell and misconstrue the older romanisation hsiao as "hsigo" "a flying monkey".
Usage examples of "xiao".
Wayne looked at Xiao Li, as the boy arranged some stalks of sorghum on a low shelf.
Wayne looked down the street and saw Xiao Li running toward them with a big grin, waving and yelling as he dodged around other pedestrians.
Wayne could tell when they were nearing Hunter because Xiao Li slowed down and moved to one side of the street, furtively glancing ahead to the opposite side.
Finally Xiao Li moved behind the corner of a small noodle shop and pointed diagonally across the street to an area that was shaded with trees.
Hunter reached into his gown and gave Xiao Li a couple of small copper coins.
They had induced Xiao Li to take an unnecessary risk in following them.
In the moonlight, Wayne saw that Xiao Li was riding bareback on a donkey, using only a halter and reins.
Hunter fell into step alongside Xiao Li and his donkey, concerned that neither the boy nor his donkey could see the road well enough in the moonlight to ride safely at this pace.
Hunter and Xiao Li moved down a gently sloping section of road, around a bend, then down a steeper slope.
Even as the humans who had tackled him grabbed his arms and legs, now shouting among themselves, he surmised that Xiao Li had been given very specific instructions about what to do and say, and that the boy had followed them precisely.
She could tell that she was being carried down the slope, in the same direction Hunter had gone with Xiao Li.
Earlier, after Xiao Li had asked the other guests in the inn to come out and speak to them, Wayne and Ishihara had given them the same story that Xiao Li and his fellow villagers had accepted, that Hunter was a misguided spirit.
Behind him, he could hear the sound of Xiao Li following, bringing the horse and the donkey.
She heard Xiao Li following them, walking the horse and donkey now that they were moving among the trees once more.
Hunter concluded that Xiao Li was probably riding the horse now and leading the donkey.