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丘 (qiū) — mound, hillock (as in 沙丘 shāqiū 'sand dune'); grave (as in 丘墓 qiūmù 'grave mound'); surname Qiu

Definition

丘 is a bound literary/formal root meaning 'mound' — it does not stand alone and only appears inside words like 沙丘 ('sand dune') or 丘陵 ('hilly terrain'). In modern Chinese it mostly signals a surname.

bound form
moundhillock (as in 沙丘 shāqiū 'sand dune')grave (as in 丘墓 qiūmù 'grave mound')surname Qiu

Examples

  • 。
    Shā qiū shì shā mò lǐ de cháng jiàn dì xíng.
    Sand dunes are a common landform in deserts.
  • 。
    Zhè yí piàn qiū líng shì hé zhǒng guǒ shù.
    This hilly area is suitable for growing fruit trees.
  • 丘。
    qiū Xiān sheng shì wǒ de zhōng wén lǎo shī.
    Mr. Qiu is my Chinese teacher.

Origin

Indicative sign
六书liùshū
指事zhǐshì

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape comes from an old drawing of a hill, showing a mound or hillock.

Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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