Definitions

chóu companion; couple; to match

Etymology

Depicts two birds facing each other

About

Formed by duplicating the bird radical 隹 side by side, 雔 visually represents a pair of birds, functioning as an ideogrammatic compound that conveys duality. From this initial depiction of two birds together, its meaning expanded to encompass broader notions of matching, pairing, or equal companionship. Eventually becoming obsolete as these abstract meanings were absorbed by more common characters, 雔 is now a rarity found predominantly in classical literature and historical dictionaries, where its structure clearly illustrates its original intended meaning.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern