郭

guō

享 + 阝

Definitions

guō (noun) outer city wall

Guō (noun) common surname

Etymology

A tall building 享 at the edge of a city 阝

About

The character 郭 is a phono-semantic compound, with the city radical 阝 on the right indicating its association with settlements, and the phonetic component 享 on the left. Its original meaning referred to an outer defensive wall built around a city. Although this architectural sense is preserved in classical texts, 郭 is now used almost exclusively as a common Chinese surname, with its original defensive connotations no longer present in everyday language.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

郭明是我的好朋友。

Guō Míng shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.

Guo Ming is my good friend.

郭老师今天来了吗？

Guō lǎoshī jīntiān láile ma?

Did Teacher Guo come today?

我们去看郭伯伯吧。

Wǒmen qù kàn Guō bóbo ba.

Let's go visit Uncle Guo.

这个村子被城郭包围着。

Zhège cūnzi bèi chéngguō bāowéizhe.

This village is surrounded by city walls.

东郭地区有很多历史遗迹。

Dōngguō dìqū yǒu hěn duō lìshǐ yíjì.

The Dongguo area has many historical relics.

郭教授的研究成果很显著。

Guō jiàoshòu de yánjiū chéngguǒ hěn xiǎnzhù.

Professor Guo's research achievements are remarkable.

在古代，城郭是重要的防御工事。

Zài gǔdài, chéngguō shì zhòngyào de fángyù gōngshì.

In ancient times, city walls were important defensive structures.

郭女士在会议上提出了新颖的观点。

Guō nǚshì zài huìyì shàng tíchūle xīnyǐng de guāndiǎn.

Ms. Guo proposed innovative views at the meeting.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 享

Component: 阝

郭