舅父 (jiù fù) — uncle (one's mother's brother)

Definition

noun

uncle (one's mother's brother)

Measure word · 个

舅父。
Wǒ de jiù fù shì yí wèi fēi cháng yǒu nài xīn de lǎo shī.
My uncle is a very patient teacher.
舅父。
Měi nián chūn jié wǒ men dōu huì qù jiù fù jiā bài nián.
Every Spring Festival we go to my uncle's house to pay a New Year's visit.
舅父。
jiù fù Sòng le wǒ yì běn tā nián qīng shí zuì xǐ huan de shū.
My uncle gave me a book that was his favorite when he was young.

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.

舅jiùmother's brother

父fùfather/male relative

舅 names the mother's brother, and 父 adds the male-relative sense, forming the respectful term for uncle.

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.

臼男舅

Meaning part形符xíngfú

男男nánmale; man

Sound part声符shēngfú

臼

Same sound today

舅 combines 男, meaning male or man, with 臼, which gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 父 shows a hand holding a stone blade, referring to a man working with a stone axe.