About
The character 叔 originally depicted a hand (又) holding a sharp wooden stick (弋) to dig up dirt, yielding the original meaning "to dig". The left component, now written 尗, evolved from that stick. Later, the character was phonetically loaned to mean a father's younger brother, distinguishing it clearly from an older brother. This specific kinship designation then broadened into a polite, general form of address for any adult male of roughly one's father's age. Thus, the current meaning is a phonetic loan, entirely unrelated to the original digging sense.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
叔叔帮我学习。
我叔叔是老师。
叔父从上海回来。
昨天叔叔送了我礼物。
叔公喜欢种花。
因为叔叔出差了，所以我不去。
叔侄两人常一起钓鱼。
尽管叔叔经验丰富，但他仍虚心学习。
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.