构 (gòu) — (bound form) to construct; to form; to make up; (bound form) composition; structure

Definition

构 (gòu) is a bound form, not used alone. It means 'to construct / to form' and shows up in set compounds like 构成, 结构, 构思, 构造 — focus on the sense relevant to the compound you meet.

bound form
to constructto formto make upcompositionstructure
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè sān gè bù fen gòng tóng gòu chéng le zhěng gè tǐ xì.
    These three parts together constitute the whole system.
  • 。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng de jié gòu fēi cháng yán jǐn.
    The structure of this essay is very rigorous.
  • 。
    Tā huā le hěn cháng shí jiān lái gòu sī zhè ge gù shi.
    He spent a long time conceiving this story.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
勾
勾gōu构gòu
Same sound today

构 combines 木 (wood) with 勾, which gives the sound.

Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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