嘱 (zhǔ) — to enjoin, to urge earnestly (used in 嘱咐, 叮嘱); to entrust, to commission (used in 嘱托)

Definition

嘱 (zhǔ) is a bound form, never used alone — it always combines with 咐 or 托. 嘱咐 means 'to urge/admonish' someone; 嘱托 means 'to entrust' a task. Don't confuse 托 here with the standalone verb 托 (to support).

bound form
to enjointo urge earnestly (used in 嘱咐, 叮嘱)to entrustto commission (used in 嘱托)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Mā ma zài sān zhǔ fù wǒ yào zhù yì ān quán.
    My mother repeatedly urged me to pay attention to safety.
  • 。
    Yī shēng zhǔ fù bìng rén měi tiān chī yào liǎng cì.
    The doctor advised the patient to take medicine twice a day.
  • 。
    Tā zhǔ tuō wǒ bǎ zhè xiē wén jiàn dài gěi nín.
    He entrusted me to bring these documents to you.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 囑; 嘱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屬
屬shǔ囑zhǔ
Same sound today

The traditional form 囑 pairs 口 (mouth) with 屬 as a sound part. The simplified 嘱 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.