戮 (lù) — (bound form, literary) to kill, to slay; (bound form, in compounds) to unite, to join forces
Definition
戮 is a literary bound form used almost only in compounds like 杀戮 ('massacre') and 戮力 ('unite forces'). It is not used as a standalone verb in modern Chinese.
bound form
(bound form, literary) to killto slay(bound form, in compounds) to uniteto join forces
Examples
- 。Lì shǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō dà guī mó shā lù de shì jiàn.There were many large-scale massacres in history.
- 戮，。Tā men shì sǐ lù lì tóng xīn, dǐ yù wài dí.They swore to unite their efforts and resist the foreign enemy.
- 戮。Gǔ dài jūn wáng cháng yǐ zhū lù zuì chén wèi wēi shè.Ancient rulers often executed guilty officials as a deterrent.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
翏
翏liù戮lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
戮 combines 翏, which gives the sound, with 戈, a dagger axe, to show the meaning.
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