球 (qiú) — ball; ball game; match

Definition

球 is the everyday word for 'ball' (an object) and for a ball game or match. Specific sports pair with it: 足球 (soccer), 网球 (tennis).

noun
ballball gamematch
Measure word · 个, 场
Easily confused

Examples

  • 球。
    Wǒ mǎi le yí gè qiú.
    I bought a ball.
  • 球。
    Wǒ men dǎ le yì chǎng qiú.
    We played a ball game.
  • 。
    Tā hěn xǐ huan dǎ qiú.
    He likes playing ball very much.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú球qiú
Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Appears in
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