俘

fú

亻 + 孚

Definitions

fú to take prisoner; prisoner of war

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 孚 represents the sound. Originally written as 孚, which depicts a hand (爪) capturing a child (子).

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 孚

About

The character 俘 is a phono-semantic compound. The left radical 亻 (rén), meaning "person", provides the semantic category, while the right component 孚 (fú) supplies the pronunciation. This phonetic element 孚 is itself composed of 爫 (claw or hand) over 子 (child), originally depicting the act of seizing someone. Combined with the person radical, 俘 specifically denotes a human captive or prisoner of war taken in conflict. Its meaning is stable and literal, referring to individuals captured by force, and it functions as both a noun for the prisoner and a verb for the act of capturing enemies in battle.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他成了俘虏。

Tā chéng le fúlǔ.

He became a captive.

军队俘获了敌人。

Jūnduì fúhuò le dírén.

The army captured the enemy.

这场战斗中有许多俘虏。

Zhè chǎng zhàndòu zhōng yǒu xǔduō fúlǔ.

There are many captives in this battle.

他被俘后受到了优待。

Tā bèi fú hòu shòudào le yōudài.

After being captured, he received good treatment.

警方成功俘获了逃犯。

Jǐngfāng chénggōng fúhuò le táofàn.

The police successfully captured the fugitive.

为了获取情报，他们俘虏了间谍。

Wèile huòqǔ qíngbào, tāmen fúlǔ le jiàndié.

In order to obtain intelligence, they captured the spy.

如果被俘，士兵应该保持沉默。

Rúguǒ bèi fú, shìbīng yīnggāi bǎochí chénmò.

If captured, soldiers should remain silent.

在历史上，许多战争俘虏最终被释放回国。

Zài lìshǐ shàng, xǔduō zhànzhēng fúlǔ zuìzhōng bèi shìfàng huí guó.

In history, many war captives were eventually released and returned to their country.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 孚

俘