About
The character 苟 is structurally composed of the grass radical 艹 above the component 句, which functions phonetically. Its early etymological sense centered on carelessness or impropriety, often describing hasty or provisional conduct in classical texts. Over centuries, the character adopted a grammatical role in literary Chinese as a conditional conjunction meaning "if" or "supposing". While this conjunctive usage is now largely archaic in everyday language, the original semantic field of negligence or compromise endures in modern lexical items like 苟且, referring to perfunctory or unprincipled behavior.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
苟且偷生是不负责任的表现。
他绝不会苟同这种荒谬的观点。
在原则问题上，我们不能有一丝苟且。
那种苟延残喘的生活毫无尊严。
他宁愿清白地死，也不愿苟活于世。
科学研究需要严谨，容不得半点苟且。
这种苟合的利益联盟注定不会长久。
面对强权，他从未苟且偷安，而是奋起抗争。