句

gōu, jù

勹 + 口

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

jù (noun) sentence; clause; phrase

jù (classifier) classifier for phrases or lines of verse

Etymology

口 represents the sound and 丩 represents the meaning and the sound.

About

句 consists of 口, which supplies the sound, and 丩, a hooked tool that provides both the meaning "hook, bent" and the sound. Originally meaning crooked or hook (cognate with 勾), the character later extended to speech: a bend metaphorically became a pause or break in verbal flow. This shift gave rise to its modern exclusive use as a sentence, phrase, or clause.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 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

这是一个句子。

Zhè shì yí gè jùzi.

This is a sentence.

他说了一句很重要的话。

Tā shuō le yí jù hěn zhòngyào de huà.

He said a very important sentence.

请把这句话翻译成英文。

Qǐng bǎ zhè jù huà fānyì chéng Yīngwén.

Please translate this sentence into English.

你能造一个疑问句吗？

Nǐ néng zào yí gè yíwèn jù ma?

Can you make an interrogative sentence?

写文章时要注意句子的通顺。

Xiě wénzhāng shí yào zhùyì jùzi de tōngshùn.

When writing an article, pay attention to the smoothness of the sentences.

这个长句的语法结构比较复杂。

Zhège cháng jù de yǔfǎ jiégòu bǐjiào fùzá.

The grammatical structure of this long sentence is relatively complex.

这段话由几个并列句构成。

Zhè duàn huà yóu jǐ gè bìngliè jù gòuchéng.

This paragraph consists of several coordinate clauses.

不同的句式可以表达出微妙的语气差异。

Bùtóng de jùshì kěyǐ biǎodá chū wēimiào de yǔqì chāyì.

Different sentence patterns can express subtle differences in tone.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 勹

Component: 口

Example Words