About
甫 began as a pictograph of a sprout (屮) rising from a field (田), depicting a garden or orchard, the character now written 圃. All its modern meanings are phonetic loans. Although it now contains the component 用, this is a later graphical shift unrelated to utility. In classical Chinese, it served as an honorific suffix for men's names, conveying respect and maturity, often equivalent to a courtesy name. In modern Chinese, it functions as an adverb meaning "just now", "only", or "recently". It also appears as a phonetic element in many common characters, such as 辅 and 捕.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
杜甫是中国诗人。
我们学习了杜甫的诗歌。
神甫在教堂祈祷。
他甫一到达就开始工作。
杜甫的诗歌反映了社会现实。
当神甫主持仪式时，人们都很肃静。
这位学者对杜甫的生平有深入研究。
甫一接到通知，他便立即着手准备。
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