胥 (xū) — (literary) all; completely; entirely

Definition

Literary adverb meaning 'all, entirely, completely' — used almost exclusively in formal writing and classical-leaning prose, not in everyday speech.

adverb

(literary) allcompletelyentirely

Easily confused

胥，。
Wàn shì xū bèi, zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng.
Everything is completely ready, only the east wind is lacking.
胥。
Cǐ lìng xū xíng yú tiān xià.
This decree is fully enforced throughout the land.
胥，。
Zhū shì xū bèi, zhī dài chū fā.
All matters are completely ready, only waiting to set out.

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.

疋月胥

Meaning part形符xíngfú

月Written in full as肉ròuflesh

Sound part声符shēngfú

疋

疋pǐ胥⁰xū

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

胥 is made from 疋, which gives the sound, and 肉, written as 月, a part associated with flesh.