旧物 (jiù wù) — old things, old stuff (e.g., discarded items); past heritage, cultural relics; (historical) lost territory

Definition

Literary term for 'old things' — carries a nostalgic or historical weight, unlike the casual everyday sense. Often used for cultural relics, heirlooms, or lost territory in a historical context.

noun
old thingsold stuff (e.g., discarded items)past heritagecultural relics(historical) lost territory
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 旧物。
    Tā bǎ jiā lǐ de jiù wù dōu juān gěi le cí shàn jī gòu.
    He donated all the old stuff at home to charity.
  • 旧物。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe xǔ duō zhēn guì de jiù wù.
    The museum displays many precious relics.
  • ，旧物，。
    Lì shǐ shàng, zhè piàn tǔ dì céng shì jiù wù, hòu lái bèi shōu fù le.
    Historically, this land was lost territory, but later it was recovered.

Origin

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.

旧jiùold
物wùthing

旧 means old, and 物 means thing, giving old things or relics.

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 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雈雈huánowl
Sound part声符shēngfú
臼
臼jiù舊jiù
Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

Open 旧 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

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