鞠

jū

匊 + 革

Definitions

jū surname Ju

jū to incline (one's torso); to bow; leather ball used in ancient times; (literary) to bring up; to rear; Taiwan pr. [jú]

Etymology phono-semantic

leather

Semantic: 革 Phonetic: 匊

About

鞠 is a phono-semantic compound: the radical 革 ('leather, hides') on the left marks leather and tanned leather goods, while the component 匊 on the right supplies the sound. The phonetic 匊 depicts a hand grabbing a handful of rice , 勹 'wrap' enclosing 米 'rice' , though here it only functions as a sound indicator. Originally, 鞠 referred to a leather ball stuffed with hair or other soft materials, used in an ancient ball game comparable to modern football or polo. Over time, it also took on the verb meaning 'to bend over' or 'to bow', evoking the curled posture of a body resembling the ball's round shape.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

演员向观众鞠躬。

Yǎnyuán xiàng guānzhòng jūgōng.

The actor bowed to the audience.

他每次演出后都鞠躬。

Tā měi cì yǎnchū hòu dōu jūgōng.

He bows after every performance.

为表达感谢，他鞠躬致意。

Wèi biǎodá gǎnxiè, tā jūgōng zhìyì.

To express gratitude, he bowed in salute.

在典礼上，主持人鞠躬欢迎来宾。

Zài diǎnlǐ shàng, zhǔchírén jūgōng huānyíng láibīn.

At the ceremony, the host bowed to welcome the guests.

父母鞠养子女成人。

Fùmǔ jūyǎng zǐnǚ chéngrén.

Parents raise children to adulthood.

他鞠躬时显得非常诚恳。

Tā jūgōng shí xiǎndé fēicháng chéngkěn.

When he bowed, he appeared very sincere.

在传统文化中，鞠躬是一种重要礼节。

Zài chuántǒng wénhuà zhōng, jūgōng shì yī zhǒng zhòngyào lǐjié.

In traditional culture, bowing is an important etiquette.

经过多年的鞠育，这些孩子终于成才。

Jīngguò duō nián de jūyù, zhèxiē háizi zhōngyú chéngcái.

After years of nurturing, these children finally became talented individuals.

Related Characters

Component: 匊

Component: 革

鞠