Definitions
Etymology
Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 古 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "flesh under the chin of a cow", which later shifted to "beard" (now written as 鬍 in traditional characters). Also used pejoratively to refer to foreigners from central Asia, who tended to have more beards than Han Chinese people. This meaning also shifted to "reckless" and "outrageous".
About
胡 is a phono-semantic compound where the left component 古 (gǔ, "ancient") provides the phonetic element, and the right component 月 (a form of the meat radical 肉) indicates a semantic connection to flesh. Its original meaning referred to the wattle, the fleshy lobe hanging beneath the throat of certain animals. The character was later phonetically borrowed to denote non-Han ethnic groups in northern and western China, serving as a general term for these nomadic peoples. From this association with foreign customs, it acquired extended meanings like "recklessly" or "outrageously", and it is also a common surname.
Example Sentences Hide
我今天吃了胡萝卜。
他的胡子很长。
你不要胡闹了。
他经常说胡话。
胡桃很有营养。
他留着长长的胡须。
他擅长拉胡琴。
他胡乱地写了一些字。