卧

臥

wò

卜 + 臣

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

wò (verb) to lie down; to recline

Etymology

Depicts a person (人) with their eye (臣) leaning forward preparing to lie down and sleep.

About

卧 (traditional 臥) combines the eye component 臣 with a person component, appearing as 卜 in simplified and 人 in traditional. The character depicts a person leaning forward with their eye, preparing to lie down and sleep. Its core meaning is reclining, lying down, or sleeping, applicable to humans resting in beds and animals crouching on the ground, and extends to furniture or rooms designed for sleep, such as a bedroom or sleeping carriage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他卧在床上。

Tā wò zài chuáng shang.

He is lying on the bed.

卧室里很安静。

Wòshì lǐ hěn ānjìng.

The bedroom is very quiet.

小猫卧在阳光下。

Xiǎo māo wò zài yángguāng xià.

The kitten is lying in the sunlight.

他静静地卧在草地上。

Tā jìngjìng de wò zài cǎodì shàng.

He is lying quietly on the grass.

卧铺车厢里乘客不多。

Wòpù chēxiāng lǐ chéngkè bù duō.

There are not many passengers in the sleeper carriage.

这款沙发可以卧着看电视。

Zhè kuǎn shāfā kěyǐ wòzhe kàn diànshì.

This sofa allows you to lie down and watch TV.

患者需要卧床休息一周。

Huànzhě xūyào wòchuáng xiūxi yī zhōu.

The patient needs to stay in bed and rest for a week.

卧式发动机节省空间。

Wòshì fādòngjī jiéshěng kōngjiān.

The horizontal engine saves space.

Related Characters

Component: 卜

Component: 臣

卧