Definitions

surname Qu
startled; Taiwan pr. [jù]

Etymology

A bird  with two wide eyes 

About

The character "瞿" is structured from the components 目, meaning eye, and 隹, meaning bird, with this combination originally conveying a sense of being startled or alarmed, as implied by the imagery of wide-open eyes possibly associated with a bird's sudden fear. Its early usage in classical texts consistently reflects meanings related to fright, surprise, or vigilant staring. Over time, while retaining these semantic associations in literary contexts, the character also came to function as a surname and was employed in transliterations, such as in the Buddhist term "瞿昙" for Gautama, demonstrating a shift from its primary descriptive use to roles in nomenclature and phonetic borrowing.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的朋友姓

Wǒ de péngyou xìng Qú.

My friend's surname is Qu.

先生今天没来。

Qú xiānsheng jīntiān méi lái.

Mr. Qu did not come today.

塘峡的风景很美。

Qútáng Xiá de fēngjǐng hěn měi.

The scenery of Qutang Gorge is very beautiful.

秋白是位革命家。

Qú Qiūbái shì wèi gémìngjiā.

Qu Qiubai was a revolutionary.

氏家族有很多名人。

Qú shì jiāzú yǒu hěnduō míngrén.

The Qu family has many famous people.

这本书介绍了姓的历史。

Zhè běn shū jièshào le Qú xìng de lìshǐ.

This book introduces the history of the Qu surname.

塘峡附近有一座古庙。

Zài Qútáng Xiá fùjìn yǒu yī zuò gǔ miào.

There is an ancient temple near Qutang Gorge.

昙在佛教中很有名。

Jútán zài Fójiào zhōng hěn yǒumíng.

Gautama is very famous in Buddhism.