觑 (qū) — to squint and peer at, to look at with narrowed eyes
Definition
A literary verb meaning 'to squint and peer at' or steal a quick look, usually through a narrow opening or from a distance. Rare in everyday speech — 觑 is more formal and physical than the more colloquial 看 or 偷看.
verb
to squint and peer atto look at with narrowed eyes
Easily confused
- 区qūsound-alikearea, region, district
- 驱qūsound-alike(bound form) to drive (a vehicle); to propel
- 屈qūsound-aliketo bend (literally, e.g., 屈膝 kneel)
- 蛆qūsound-alikemaggot
- 躯qūsound-alike(bound form) body; used in compounds
- 祛qūsound-alike(bound form) to dispel, to remove (used in verb compounds related to eliminating something undesirable)
Examples
- 觑。Tā mī qǐ yǎn jing zǐ xì qū zhe yuǎn fāng de fēng jǐng.He squinted and peered carefully at the distant scenery.
- 觑，。Tā tōu tōu qū le yì yǎn, shēng pà bèi fā xiàn.He stole a peek, afraid of being caught.
- ，觑。Tā cè zhe shēn zi, cóng mén fèng lǐ qū zhe lǐ miàn de qíng kuàng.She leaned sideways and peered through the crack in the door to see what was happening 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 覷; 觑 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
虛
虛xū覷qù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 覷 pairs 見 (see) with 虛 as a sound component; the simplified 觑 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.
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