沽

gū

古 + 氵

Definitions

gū abbr. for Tianjin 天津 (also 津沽)

gū to buy; to sell

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 古 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 古

About

沽 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the water radical 氵 (shuǐ) and the phonetic 古 (gǔ). The water radical indicates that the character originally served as the proper name for a specific river in ancient China. Through phonetic borrowing over centuries of language change, it shifted to the entirely unrelated meanings of buying and selling goods. It then became particularly associated with the act of purchasing alcoholic beverages or wine from a tavern. Furthermore, the character is frequently employed in expressions that describe individuals who fish for undeserved fame or deliberately seek an artificial reputation, playing on the idea of buying or trading for personal prestige.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我去市场沽酒。

Wǒ qù shìchǎng gū jiǔ.

I go to the market to buy wine.

他沽了一瓶好酒。

Tā gū le yì píng hǎo jiǔ.

He bought a bottle of good wine.

商人沽货价格高。

Shāngrén gū huò jiàgé gāo.

The merchant sells goods at high prices.

这家店沽酒很便宜。

Zhè jiā diàn gū jiǔ hěn piányi.

This shop sells wine very cheaply.

他沽名为了出名。

Tā gū míng wèile chūmíng.

He seeks fame to become famous.

股票沽空有风险。

Gǔpiào gū kōng yǒu fēngxiǎn.

Short selling stocks has risks.

在股市中，沽出时机很重要。

Zài gǔshì zhōng, gū chū shíjī hěn zhòngyào.

In the stock market, the timing of selling is important.

投资者需谨慎沽空以避免损失。

Tóuzī zhě xū jǐnshèn gū kōng yǐ bìmiǎn sǔnshī.

Investors need to short sell cautiously to avoid losses.

Related Characters

Component: 古

Component: 氵

沽