讴 (ōu) — (bound form, literary) to sing, to eulogize; a ballad or folk song
Definition
A literary bound form used almost only in the compound 讴歌 (ōugē), meaning to praise or celebrate in song or verse. Far more formal and poetic than everyday verbs like 唱 or 称赞.
bound form
(bound form, literary) to singto eulogizea ballad or folk song
Easily confused
- 抠kōulook-alike(verb) to pick (with fingers), to dig out, to scratch
- 欧ōusound-alike(surname) Ou
- 枢shūlook-alikepivot (central turning point)
- 殴ōusound-alike(bound form) to beat, to strike
- 呕ǒulook-alikeirritated, annoyed (as a bound form, usually in compounds)
- 鸥ōusound-alikegull (bird), often used in compounds like 海鸥
Examples
- 。Rén men ōu gē yīng xióng de yīng yǒng shì jì.People sing the praises of the heroes' brave deeds.
- 。Zhè bù xiǎo shuō ōu gē le pǔ tōng láo dòng zhě de shēng huó.This novel eulogizes the lives of ordinary working people.
- 。Shī rén yòng yōu měi de shī jù ōu gē dà zì rán.The poet eulogized nature with beautiful verses.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 謳; 讴 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū謳ōu
Same sound today
The traditional form 謳 uses 言 (speech) for the meaning and 區 for the sound; the simplified 讴 is a later abbreviation.
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