Usage of the character 箫
xiāo
箫
[簫]
- xiao, a vertical bamboo flute
bíxiāo
鼻箫
[鼻簫]
- nose flute
shēngxiāo
笙箫
[笙簫]
- reed-pipe wind instrument and vertical bamboo flute
páixiāo
排箫
[排簫]
- panpipes
chuīxiāo
吹箫
[吹簫]
- to play the xiao 簫／箫 (xiāo), a vertical bamboo flute
- (literary) to beg on the streets (abbr. for 吳市吹簫／吴市吹箫 (wúshì-chuīxiāo))
- (slang) to give a blowjob
wúshìchuīxiāo
吴市吹箫
[吳市吹簫]
- (idiom) to beg on the streets; to fall into utter destitution (allusion to Wu Zixu's 伍子胥 ( Wǔ Zǐxū) exile and humiliation as described in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" 史記／史记 ( Shǐjì))
yùrénchuīxiāo
玉人吹箫
[玉人吹簫]
- virtuoso piper wins a beauty
- the xiao 簫／箫 (xiāo) (mouth organ) virtuoso 蕭史／萧史 ( Xiāo Shǐ) won for his wife the beautiful daughter of Duke Mu of Qin 秦穆公 ( Qín Mùgōng)
chuīxiāoqǐshí
吹箫乞食
[吹簫乞食]
- see 吳市吹簫／吴市吹箫 (wúshì-chuīxiāo)