箍 (gū) — to hoop; to bind with a band

Definition

箍 (gū) is a verb meaning to bind or ring something with a band — both the action and the band itself (as in 发箍, 铁箍). It is concrete and physical: it refers to wrapping or fitting a circular band around an object, not to fastening in general.

verb
to hoopto bind with a band
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，箍。
    Zhè ge mù tǒng kuài sàn le, xū yào gū yí xià.
    This wooden bucket is about to fall apart; it needs to be hooped.
  • 箍。
    Tā yòng fā gū bǎ tóu fa gū zhù le.
    She bound her hair with a headband.
  • 箍。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā gū yá.
    The doctor suggested he get braces on his teeth.

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
㧜
㧜㧜箍gū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

箍 is made from 竹 (bamboo) plus 㧜, with 竹 contributing the meaning and 㧜 contributing the sound.

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