Definitions

ǒu old variant of 偶[ǒu]
(archaic) district; (old) type of monkey

Etymology

Origin unclear. Likely depicts a monkey. Possibly related to .

About

The character 禺 originated as a pictograph of a long-tailed monkey or ape from southern regions. Its upper part, resembling the component 田, depicted the head, while the lower section, including 禸, represented the body, legs, and a long curling tail. Initially, 禺 directly meant this primate. Over time, however, it came to be used primarily as a phonetic component in characters for concepts like foolishness or a geographical area, and its independent use as the animal's name became rare, limited to specific classical or zoological contexts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 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

我去过番旅游。

Wǒ qùguo Pānyú lǚyóu.

I have been to Panyu for travel.

他住在番区。

Tā zhù zài Pānyú qū.

He lives in Panyu District.

的天气很暖和。

Pānyú de tiānqì hěn nuǎnhuo.

The weather in Panyu is very warm.

我们在番参观了博物馆。

Wǒmen zài Pānyú cānguānle bówùguǎn.

We visited the museum in Panyu.

传说太阳落在谷。

Chuánshuō tàiyáng luò zài Yúgǔ.

Legend says the sun sets in Yugu.

强是古代的海神。

Yúqiáng shì gǔdài de hǎishén.

Yuqiang is an ancient sea god.

氏在古代是游牧民族。

Yúshì zài gǔdài shì yóumù mínzú.

The Yushi tribe was a nomadic people in ancient times.

关于强的神话流传了很久。

Guānyú Yúqiáng de shénhuà liúchuánle hěn jiǔ.

The myth about Yuqiang has been passed down for a long time.