Definitions

ǒu (verb) vomit; throw up

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 呕, whose traditional form is 嘔, is etymologically derived from the phonetic component 區 (ōu), which here suggests both sound and the sense of something being contained and then expelled, combined with the radical 口 meaning mouth. Its core meaning has consistently been to vomit or retch, a direct physical action originating from the mouth. Over time, this primary sense was extended metaphorically to describe producing something with great effort or discomfort, as well as to convey strong feelings of disgust or disdain, where one might say something is "nauseating" in a figurative sense. The structural simplification from 嘔 to 呕 primarily streamlined the phonetic element while retaining the essential mouth radical, preserving the character's conceptual link to expulsion through the mouth both in literal and expressive contexts.

Example Sentences Hide

他经常吐不止。

Tā jīngcháng ǒutù bùzhǐ.

He often vomits incessantly.

恶心的时候容易

Ěxin de shíhòu róngyì ǒu.

It's easy to vomit when feeling nauseous.

出了胃里的食物。

Tā ǒu chūle wèi lǐ de shíwù.

She vomited out the food from her stomach.

这种味道让人想

Zhè zhǒng wèidào ràng rén xiǎng ǒu.

This kind of smell makes people want to vomit.

他因为食物中毒而吐。

Tā yīnwèi shíwù zhòngdú ér ǒutù.

He vomited due to food poisoning.

看到那个场景,我差点出来。

Kàndào nàgè chǎngjǐng, wǒ chàdiǎn ǒu chūlái.

Seeing that scene, I almost vomited out.

长期酗酒导致他经常吐。

Chángqī xùjiǔ dǎozhì tā jīngcháng ǒutù.

Long-term alcoholism causes him to vomit frequently.

尽管医生给了药,他还是个不停。

Jǐnguǎn yīshēng gěile yào, tā háishì ǒu gè bù tíng.

Despite the doctor giving medicine, he still vomits non-stop.