Definitions

(literary) hard iron; (literary) hook; barb; used in personal names and place names; variant of 巨[jù]

Etymology phono-semantic

metal

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 钜 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 钅 (metal) on the left, indicating a connection to metals, and the phonetic component 巨 (large) on the right, which provides the sound "jù". Its traditional form, 鉅, uses the unsimplified radical 金 but retains the same phonetic structure and meaning. Originally, 钜 referred to a type of hard iron or steel, but over time it evolved to represent hugeness or greatness, serving as a formal or archaic variant of 巨 in certain literary and historical contexts.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern