楚 (chǔ) — (bound form) the ancient Chu kingdom, covering modern Hubei and Hunan; (bound form) clear, orderly (in compounds like 清楚, 一清二楚); (bound form) suffering, pain (in compounds like 苦楚, 痛楚)
Definition
楚 (chǔ) is a bound form used in compounds. It refers to the ancient Chu kingdom in the Hubei–Hunan region (楚国), and in words like 清楚 and 苦楚 it means 'clear' or 'suffering'.
bound form
the ancient Chu kingdomcovering modern Hubei and Hunanclearorderly (in compounds like 清楚, 一清二楚)sufferingpain (in compounds like 苦楚, 痛楚)
Examples
- 。Zhè ge wèn tí shuō dé hěn qīng chǔ.This question is explained very clearly.
- 。Tā jīng lì le hěn duō kǔ chǔ.She has experienced a lot of suffering.
- 楚。chǔ Guó zài lì shǐ shàng hěn qiáng dà.The Chu kingdom was very powerful in history.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
疋
疋pǐ楚chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The old form combined 林 (forest) with a part like a footprint, perhaps pointing to a place with a group of trees. In 楚, the lower part is written as 疋, which gives the sound and preserves part of that drawing.
Appears in
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