About
吾 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic mouth radical 口 at the bottom indicating its connection to speech and the phonetic component 五 at the top. As a first-person pronoun meaning "I" or "my", it is primarily found in classical Chinese literature and formal historical texts. While functionally similar to modern pronouns, it carries a distinctly literary and archaic tone. Consequently, it is largely obsolete in everyday modern speech but remains prevalent in idioms, historical quotations, and formal writing that intentionally employs classical linguistic structures.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
吾家有三口人。
吾人喜欢读书。
吾国之历史很长。
吾辈青年要努力奋斗。
吾心永远向着光明。
吾人所追求的是和平。
吾人必须面对现实挑战。
吾辈当铭记历史教训，共创未来。