禹 (yǔ) — Yu the Great (legendary emperor, tamer of floods, founder of the Xia dynasty)

Definition

禹 (Yǔ) is the name of Yu the Great, the legendary ruler famed for taming the floods and founding the Xia dynasty. Unlike common nouns, it is used almost exclusively as a historical/cultural proper name in phrases like 大禹.

noun
Yu the Great (legendary emperor, tamer of floods, founder of the Xia dynasty)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 禹，。
    Zhōng guó rén mín hěn zūn jìng yǔ, yīn wèi tā zhì shuǐ yǒu gōng.
    The Chinese people greatly respect Yu because he succeeded in controlling the floods.
  • ，禹。
    Chuán shuō zhōng, yǔ jiàn lì le xià cháo.
    According to legend, Yu founded the Xia dynasty.
  • 禹。
    yǔ De gù shi zài zhōng guó dài dài xiāng chuán.
    The story of Yu has been passed down through generations in China.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

禹 originally showed a picture of an animal.

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