How to Write 巧 (qiǎo) — Meaning “skillful; clever; coincidental”

Imagine a skilled carpenter lifting a "工" (workbench) with a curved "hook" (the right part resembles a hook). This hook helps him work cleverly and skillfully. Or think: "工" plus a curved line equals "巧" – clever work.

The left part 工 should be written with the top horizontal stroke slightly shorter than the bottom one, and the vertical stroke centered. The right part starts with a horizontal stroke, then a downward curving stroke that extends a bit below the left side—do not make it too long. Common mistakes include writing the right part as a simple 丂 with a sharp angle.

工 means "work" and is a basic radical, while 巧 adds the right component to mean "skillful" or "clever"—it is a more specific adjective. 左 means "left" and contains 工 plus 𱍿 (a hand), so its meaning is directional, not about skill. Visually, 左 has an extra stroke (a hand shape) above 工, while 巧 has a curved stroke on the right.

巧 appears in common words like 灵巧 (dexterous) and 巧妙 (ingenious), and is famously part of 巧克力 (chocolate), a phonetic loanword. It is used to describe someone's skillfulness or to highlight a lucky coincidence, for example in the phrase 碰巧 (by chance). Culturally, being "巧" is valued in Chinese craftsmanship and problem-solving.

Common words containing 巧 include: 灵巧 (líng qiǎo) — dexterous; 巧克力 (qiǎo kè lì) — chocolate; 巧妙 (qiǎo miào) — ingenious; clever.