Definitions

chóu (noun) hatred; enmity; animosity
chóu (noun) enemy; foe
qiú (noun) spouse; companion

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "仇" is structured with the radical "人" on the left, denoting a person, and the component "九" on the right, which originally served a phonetic function in classical Chinese. Etymologically, this character initially represented a companion or spouse, stemming from the concept of a matched pair. Over centuries, its meaning inverted to signify an enemy or a state of hatred, a semantic shift that likely arose from contexts of conflict or opposition between individuals. The traditional form of the character shares this same composition, and the transformation from denoting partnership to enmity reflects a clear change in its lexical use without alteration to its fundamental structure.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他是我的人。

Tā shì wǒ de chóurén.

He is my enemy.

不要恨别人。

Bùyào chóuhèn biérén.

Do not hate others.

他们因为旧而打架。

Tāmen yīnwèi jiùchóu ér dǎjià.

They fought because of old grudges.

恨不能解决问题。

Chóuhèn bùnéng jiějué wèntí.

Hatred cannot solve problems.

如果你心中有,你就不会快乐。

Rúguǒ nǐ xīnzhōng yǒu chóu, nǐ jiù bù huì kuàilè.

If you have hatred in your heart, you will not be happy.

化解怨需要宽容和理解。

Huàjiě chóuyuàn xūyào kuānróng hé lǐjiě.

Resolving enmity requires tolerance and understanding.

尽管他们过去有,但现在已经成为朋友。

Jǐnguǎn tāmen guòqù yǒu chóu, dàn xiànzài yǐjīng chéngwéi péngyǒu.

Although they had enmity in the past, they have now become friends.

长期的冲突可能导致难以化解的恨。

Chángqī de chōngtū kěnéng dǎozhì nányǐ huàjiě de chóuhèn.

Long-term conflicts may lead to hatred that is difficult to resolve.