Definitions

qiū (noun) hill; mound
qiū (noun) grave

Etymology

Pictograph of two hills.

About

The character "丘" originated as a pictograph representing two rising peaks or mounds of earth, a form which conceptually stabilized into its now familiar structure of two vertical lines beside a longer central one. Its core meaning has consistently referred to a small hill or an earthen mound, a concept derived directly from its visual representation. Over time, this fundamental sense of a human-sized earth form allowed for a natural semantic extension, whereby "丘" also came to signify a grave mound or tomb, linking the physical shape of a hillock to its funerary function. The character's structure has remained largely consistent throughout its history, and it is one of the few common characters that retained its traditional form without undergoing graphical simplification in the modern era, preserving its ancient pictorial essence within its minimal strokes.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个小山很漂亮。

Xiǎo shān qiū hěn piào liang.

This small hill is very beautiful.

在沙漠中移动。

Shā qiū zài shā mò zhōng yí dòng.

Sand dunes move in the desert.

陵地带适合种茶。

Qiū líng dì dài shì hé zhòng chá.

Hilly areas are suitable for growing tea.

画家笔下的壑很有气势。

Huà jiā bǐ xià de qiū hè hěn yǒu qì shì.

The hills and valleys under the painter's brush are very imposing.

在寺庙里静静祈祷。

Bǐ qiū zài sì miào lǐ jìng jìng qí dǎo.

The monk prays quietly in the temple.

这片田野中有几座古墓。

Zhè piàn tián yě zhōng yǒu jǐ zuò gǔ qiū mù.

There are several ancient grave mounds in this field.

我们爬上了那个长满绿草的

Wǒ men pá shàng le nà gè zhǎng mǎn lǜ cǎo de qiū.

We climbed that hill covered with green grass.

由于风蚀作用,沙的形态不断变化。

Yóu yú fēng shí zuò yòng, shā qiū de xíng tài bù duàn biàn huà.

Due to wind erosion, the form of the sand dunes constantly changes.