竺

zhú, dǔ

二 + 竹

Definitions

zhú surname Zhu; abbr. for 天竺[tiān zhú], India (esp. in Tang or Buddhist context); (archaic) Buddhism

dǔ variant of 篤|笃[dǔ]

Etymology

A kind 二 of bamboo ⺮; ⺮ also provides the pronunciation

About

竺 is composed of the semantic radical 竹 (bamboo) above the phonetic component 二. It originally served as an alternate form for bamboo or a specific type of bamboo. Its primary meaning shifted when it was adopted as a phonetic loan to transcribe "India" in classical Chinese, most notably in the term Tianzhu (天竺). This usage, central to historical texts on Buddhism and early geography of South Asia, completely overshadowed its original botanical sense.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

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

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的朋友姓竺。

Wǒ de péngyou xìng Zhú.

My friend's surname is Zhu.

竺可桢是科学家。

Zhú Kězhēn shì kēxuéjiā.

Zhu Kezhen is a scientist.

天竺是古代印度。

Tiānzhú shì gǔdài Yìndù.

Tianzhu is ancient India.

我们学习了天竺的历史。

Wǒmen xuéxí le Tiānzhú de lìshǐ.

We studied the history of Tianzhu.

竺教授在大学教书。

Zhú jiàoshòu zài dàxué jiāoshū.

Professor Zhu teaches at the university.

这本书介绍了天竺的文化。

Zhè běn shū jièshào le Tiānzhú de wénhuà.

This book introduces the culture of Tianzhu.

竺可桢对中国气象学有贡献。

Zhú Kězhēn duì Zhōngguó qìxiàngxué yǒu gòngxiàn.

Zhu Kezhen contributed to Chinese meteorology.

在历史课上，我们讨论了天竺与中国的交流。

Zài lìshǐ kè shàng, wǒmen tǎolùn le Tiānzhú yǔ Zhōngguó de jiāoliú.

In history class, we discussed the exchanges between Tianzhu and China.

Related Characters

Component: 二

Component: 竹

竺