jiǎo

筊

Character · Noun

bamboo rope; divination tool

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 3 examples
1.

noun

rope or cable woven from bamboo

literary

An archaic term for a specific type of bamboo rope or cable, found in classical texts. It can also refer to a tool used in divination (bamboo slips).

Gǔ古
rén人
dù渡
hé河
 ，
yǒu有
shí时
shǐ使
yòng用
zhú竹
jiǎo筊
wéi为
lǎn缆
 。

When crossing rivers, ancient people sometimes used bamboo ropes as cables.

Cǐ此
cí词
jiàn见
yú于
 《
Shuō说
Wén文
Jiě解
Zì字
 》
děng等
gǔ古
jí籍
 。

This word is found in ancient texts such as 'Shuowen Jiezi'.

2.

noun

bamboo slips used for divination

archaic

In ancient Chinese divination practices, these were bamboo slips thrown to determine fortune.

Wū巫
zhě者
shǒu手
chí持
zhú竹
jiǎo筊
 ，
jìn进
xíng行
zhān占
bǔ卜
 。

The shaman held bamboo slips to perform divination.