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鞠躬 (jū gōng) — to bow (as a gesture of respect)

Definition

A formal bow (bending at the waist) to show respect — a deeper, more respectful gesture than 低头 (just lowering the head) or 俯首 (literary, implies submission). 跪 (kneeling) is far more extreme, usually for worship or apology.

verb
to bow (as a gesture of respect)

Examples

  • 鞠躬。
    Tā xiàng kè rén jū gōng.
    He bowed to the guest.
  • 。
    Tā xiàng dà jiā jū le yí gè gōng.
    He made a bow to everyone.
  • “”。
    Tā jū gōng shuō le yī shēng "xiè xie".
    He bowed and said “thank you”.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

鞠jūbend
躬gōngbody

鞠 means to bend, and 躬 means body, so the word pictures bending the body in a bow.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The form 鞠 combines 米 (rice) with 𥲩 for the sound; this shape was used for a word for brewer's yeast starter.

Open 鞠 →

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
身身shēnbody
Sound part声符shēngfú
弓
弓gōng躬gōng
Same sound today

躬 combines 身 (body) with 弓, which gives the sound. The body part fits meanings related to the body.

Open 躬 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Greetings & Politeness

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