诸侯 (zhū hóu) — feudal lords (in ancient China, vassal rulers under the Zhou dynasty)

Definition

Feudal lords of the Zhou dynasty — vassal rulers granted land by the king, who waged constant wars among themselves (the Spring and Autumn period is named for this).

noun
feudal lords (in ancient China, vassal rulers under the Zhou dynasty)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，诸侯。
    Chūn qiū shí qī, zhū hóu zhī jiān jīng cháng fā shēng zhàn zhēng.
    During the Spring and Autumn period, wars frequently broke out among the feudal lords.
  • 诸侯，。
    Zhōu tiān zǐ fēn fēng le zhòng duō zhū hóu, yǐ gǒng gù tǒng zhì.
    The Zhou king enfeoffed many feudal lords to consolidate his rule.
  • 桓诸侯。
    Qí huán gōng shì chūn qiū shí qī dì yī gè chēng bà de zhū hóu.
    Duke Huan of Qi was the first feudal lord to become hegemon during the Spring and Autumn period.

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.

诸zhūmany
侯hóulord

诸 conveys 'many' or 'all' and 侯 names a lord, so the term means the many feudal lords.

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 諸; 诸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě諸zhū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 諸 pairs 言 (speech) with 者; 者 gives the sound.

Open 诸 →

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

侯 comes from a picture of a target for arrows.

Open 侯 →

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