Definitions
surname Zhu; abbr. for 天竺[tiān zhú], India (esp. in Tang or Buddhist context); (archaic) Buddhism
variant of 篤|笃[dǔ]
Etymology
A kind 二 of bamboo ⺮; ⺮ also provides the pronunciation
About
The character "竺" is structurally composed of the bamboo radical "竹" positioned above the numeral "二", a configuration that originally conveyed a sense of thickness or heaviness in early Chinese texts. This initial meaning gradually receded as the character was adopted primarily for its phonetic value in transliterating foreign terms, most notably in the compound "天竺", which designated India and subsequently imbued the character with strong associations to Buddhism and South Asian culture. Concurrently, "竺" evolved to serve as a surname in China, a role that has been maintained alongside its geographic and cultural connotations, illustrating a semantic shift from a descriptive adjective to a multifaceted lexical item representing proper names and concepts without undergoing changes in its graphical form.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我的朋友姓竺。
竺可桢是科学家。
天竺是古代印度。
我们学习了天竺的历史。
竺教授在大学教书。
这本书介绍了天竺的文化。
竺可桢对中国气象学有贡献。
在历史课上，我们讨论了天竺与中国的交流。