耇

gǒu

句 + 耂

Definitions

gǒu wrinkled face of the elderly

Etymology

About

A phono-semantic compound, 耇 combines a variant of the semantic radical 老 ("old") at the top, partially enclosing the phonetic component 句 (gǒu). It denotes advanced age, the elderly, or venerable longevity. In classical literature, the character frequently appears in compounds with other age-related terms to describe esteemed elders or the physical marks of extreme old age, such as a weathered complexion. The phonetic 句, which independently means "phrase" or "sentence", serves here purely as a sound indicator and contributes no semantic meaning to the concept of aging.