Definitions

bow of ship

Etymology phono-semantic

ship

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(lú), the simplified equivalent of , is a phono-semantic compound: its left radical (zhōu) means boat, anchoring it to maritime contexts, and its right component (lú) (traditional ) indicates the pronunciation. Originally, the character designated the bow or stern of a wooden boat. In classical naval terminology and historical literature, it frequently combines with (a character for an oar or bow) to form 舳舻 (zhúlú), a synecdoche for a long procession of ships sailing together.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern