梧

wú

吾 + 木

Frequency#3356

Definitions

wú (noun) Chinese parasol tree

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 吾 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 吾

About

The character 梧 is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the semantic component 木, denoting "tree", combined with the phonetic component 吾, which indicates its pronunciation. This construction originally served to designate the wutong tree, specifically the Chinese parasol tree, linking its form directly to botanical classification. Over time, the character's meaning has remained centered on this arboreal reference, with its primary use occurring in botanical contexts and fixed lexical items such as 梧桐, where it continues to signify the same plant species.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这棵梧桐树真高。

Zhè kē wútóng shù zhēn gāo.

This phoenix tree is really tall.

我家院子里种了一棵梧桐。

Wǒ jiā yuànzi lǐ zhòng le yī kē wútóng.

A phoenix tree is planted in my yard.

梧桐叶在秋天变得金黄。

Wútóng yè zài qiūtiān biàn dé jīnhuáng.

Phoenix tree leaves turn golden in autumn.

那位士兵身材十分魁梧。

Nà wèi shìbīng shēncái shífēn kuíwú.

That soldier has a very sturdy build.

梧州是广西的一个城市。

Wúzhōu shì Guǎngxī de yí gè chéngshì.

Wuzhou is a city in Guangxi.

秋风把梧桐叶吹得沙沙响。

Qiūfēng bǎ wútóng yè chuī dé shāshā xiǎng.

The autumn wind rustles the phoenix tree leaves.

他站在魁梧的槐树下思考。

Tā zhàn zài kuíwú de huáishù xià sīkǎo.

He stood under the sturdy locust tree, thinking.

这片梧桐林承载着城市的记忆。

Zhè piàn wútóng lín chéngzài zhe chéngshì de jìyì.

This grove of phoenix trees carries the memory of the city.

Related Characters

Component: 吾

Component: 木

梧