About
鹄 (hú or gǔ), the simplified form of 鵠, carries two unrelated meanings depending on pronunciation: a swan (hú) and the bullseye of an archery target (gǔ). Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound in which the right-side radical 鸟 (simplified from 鳥) places it in the bird category, while the left-side component 告 (gào) indicates the pronunciation. When pronounced hú, it names the swan and is used metaphorically for lofty aspirations, famously in the phrase 鸿鹄之志 (hónghú zhī zhì). With the reading gǔ, the character instead denotes the target's center, a meaning that gave rise to the compound 目的 (mùdì), originally referring to aiming at that central point.
Etymology Hide
Example Words
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.