About
The character "郭" originally functioned as a noun denoting the outer protective wall surrounding a city, a meaning clearly reflected in its structure, which combines the radical "邑" often associated with settlements or territories on the right, with a component on the left that historically may have served a phonetic role. While this concrete geographical meaning persists in classical texts and some historical place names, its primary function in modern usage has shifted to that of a common surname. This transition from a specific term for a man-made structure to a personal identifier represents the main path of its semantic development, with the original architectural sense becoming largely archaic in everyday language.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
郭明是我的好朋友。
郭老师今天来了吗？
我们去看郭伯伯吧。
这个村子被城郭包围着。
东郭地区有很多历史遗迹。
郭教授的研究成果很显著。
在古代，城郭是重要的防御工事。
郭女士在会议上提出了新颖的观点。