禄

祿

lù

录 + 礻

Definitions

lù (noun) official salary; government emolument

lù (noun) good fortune; prosperity

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 礻 represents the meaning and 录 represents the sound. Simplified form of 祿.

Semantic: 礻 Phonetic: 录

About

禄 (lù) is a phono-semantic compound: 礻 conveys the meaning of spirit, altar, or divine matters, while 录 (lù) represents the sound. This character simplifies the traditional 祿, where the phonetic was 彔. Originally it signified divine blessings or prosperity bestowed by deities, in keeping with its radical. Over time, the sense shifted to the official salary or stipend given to imperial officials and scholars, equating worldly success with heavenly favor.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他的俸禄很高。

Tā de fènglù hěn gāo.

His salary is very high.

禄是福气的一种。

Lù shì fúqì de yī zhǒng.

Prosperity is a kind of good fortune.

官员享有朝廷的俸禄。

Guānyuán xiǎngyǒu cháotíng de fènglù.

Officials enjoy the salary from the imperial court.

厚禄并不能带来快乐。

Hòu lù bìng bù néng dàilái kuàilè.

A generous salary cannot bring happiness.

他追求的是禄位而非理想。

Tā zhuīqiú de shì lù wèi ér fēi lǐxiǎng.

What he pursues is official position and salary rather than ideals.

在古代，禄位象征着权力和地位。

Zài gǔdài, lù wèi xiàngzhēngzhe quánlì hé dìwèi.

In ancient times, official position and salary symbolized power and status.

追求禄利可能让人迷失自我。

Zhuīqiú lù lì kěnéng ràng rén míshī zìwǒ.

Pursuing salary and benefits may cause people to lose themselves.

只求俸禄的人生缺乏深远意义。

Zhǐ qiú fènglù de rénshēng quēfá shēnyuǎn yìyì.

A life that only seeks salary lacks profound meaning.

Related Characters

Component: 录

Component: 礻

禄