逐个 (zhú gè) — one by one, individually

Definition

逐个 means 'one by one' — each item in a group, in sequence. Compare to 一个个, which is more colloquial; 逐个 sounds slightly more deliberate and written.

adverb

one by oneindividually

逐个。
Lǎo shī zhú gè jiǎn chá le xué shēng de zuò yè.
The teacher checked the students' homework one by one.
逐个。
Wǒ men zhú gè huí dá le suǒ yǒu wèn tí.
We answered all the questions one by one.
逐个。
Qǐng bǎ zhè xiē wén jiàn zhú gè biān hào.
Please number these files individually.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

逐zhúone by one

个gèindividual

逐 'one by one' and 个 'individual' together mean individually, one after another.

Characters in this word

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

逐 joins 辵, shown as walking, with 豕, a pig, to picture someone chasing a pig.

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 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

亻固個

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

固

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Appears in