Definition
滔 is a bound form (b.f.) that only appears in compound words or literary expressions. It most often occurs in 滔天 (tāotiān, literally 'billows to the sky', figuratively referring to monstrous crimes or massive floods) and in the reduplicated form 滔滔 (tāotāo, meaning surging or torrential). You will not see it used alone in modern Chinese.
b.f.
(morpheme in compounds) surgingtorrential(figurative) heinousmonstrous (in 滔天)
Examples
- 滔。tāo tiān zuìxíng bù kě ráoshù.Monstrous crimes are unforgivable.
- 滔。tāo tiān jùlàng xiānfān le dà chuán.Towering waves capsized the large ship.
- 滔。Tā fàn xià tāo tiān dà huò.He committed a heinous disaster.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.