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幽 (yōu) — (bound form) remote and secluded; (bound form) secretive; hidden (in compounds like 幽暗, 幽闭)

Definition

幽 is a bound morpheme meaning 'secluded, hidden, dim' — it never stands alone but appears in compounds like 幽静, 幽暗, 幽深, all evoking quiet remoteness or darkness.

bound form
remote and secludedsecretivehidden (in compounds like 幽暗, 幽闭)

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè ge xiǎo shān cūn fēi cháng yōu jìng, hěn shǎo yǒu wài rén lái.
    This small mountain village is very secluded and quiet; very few outsiders come.
  • ，。
    Shān dòng lǐ shí fēn yōu àn, zǒu jìn qù shén me dōu kàn bú jiàn.
    The cave is extremely dim and hidden; once you go in, you can't see anything.
  • 。
    Zhè tiáo yōu shēn de xiǎo lù tōng xiàng yí piàn gǔ lǎo de sēn lín.
    This deep and remote path leads to an ancient forest.

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
山山shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢆶
𢆶𢆶幽yōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

幽 pairs 山, mountain, with 𢆶 as a sound part.

Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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