吁 (xū) — (bound form) to appeal; to plead

Definition

Bound form used only in formal verbs like 呼吁 (appeal/call for) and 吁请 (petition). It has no standalone meaning — it always attaches to a following verb to mean 'to plead for'.

bound form
to appealto plead
Easily confused

Examples

  • 吁。
    Tā dài biǎo jū mín xiàng zhèng fǔ fā chū xū qǐng.
    He submitted an appeal to the government on behalf of the residents.
  • 吁。
    Zhè piān shè lùn qiáng liè xū qiú shè huì guān zhù jiào yù wèn tí.
    This editorial strongly pleads for society to pay attention to education issues.
  • 吁，。
    Jū mín men lián míng xiàng zhèng fǔ fā chū xū qǐng, yāo qiú gǎi shàn shè qū huán jìng.
    The residents jointly appealed to the government, requesting improvement of the community environment.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú吁xū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 口 part is a mouth, since the character is about sounds made with the mouth; the 于 part gives the sound.

Appears in
Communication & Speech

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