虚 (xū) — (adjective) empty; void; unoccupied; (adjective) false; fake; unreal; (adjective) weak; feeble (in health)
Definition
Single character covering two distinct ideas: 'empty/void/unreal' (vs 假 fake, 虚假) and 'physically weak' (health). Reads as literary/abstract — in daily speech, 虚假 or 虚弱 is more common.
adjective
emptyvoidunoccupiedfalsefakeunrealweakfeeble (in health)
Examples
- 虚，。Tā zuì jìn shēn tǐ hěn xū, xū yào duō xiū xi.He has been very weak lately and needs more rest.
- Tā de huà hěn xū jiǎHis words are very false.
- ，虚。Miàn duì dà jiā de zhì yí, tā xīn lǐ hěn xū.Facing everyone's doubts, he felt very uneasy inside.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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