TongTong
Sign in

趋于 (qū yú) — to tend towards (a state or change), to show a trend toward

Definition

Formal/written verb meaning 'to tend toward' a developing state or trend — stronger and more literary than the colloquial 越来越, used in news, reports, and academic prose.

verb
to tend towards (a state or change)to show a trend toward

Examples

  • 趋于。
    Liǎng guó guān xì qū yú huǎn hé.
    The relations between the two countries tend towards détente.
  • ，趋于。
    Suí zhe jì shù de jìn bù, shēng chǎn chéng běn qū yú jiàng dī.
    With technological progress, production costs tend to decrease.
  • 趋于。
    Tā men de yì jiàn qū yú yí zhì.
    Their opinions tend to converge.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

趋qūmove toward
于yútoward

“趋” means to move toward and “于” adds the sense of toward, so the whole means to show a trend toward a state.

Characters in this word

Most 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 趨; 趋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
芻
芻chú趨qū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 趨 pairs 走, a walking/running part, with 芻 as a sound part; the simplified 趋 is a later shorthand.

Open 趋 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & Process

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