Definitions

zhūn to bury

Etymology phono-semantic

hole

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "窀" is composed of the radical "穴", indicating a cave or hole, combined with the phonetic and semantic component "屯", which carries connotations of accumulation or bundling. Its etymology relates directly to internment, originally specifying a thickly packed or deep burial mound. Over time, its meaning broadened to refer more generally to a grave or tomb, though its usage remains largely restricted to classical texts and fixed literary compounds such as "窀穸", which means the grave or the long night of death.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern