君 (jūn): ruler

Meanings

1 ruler
2 monarch
3 gentleman
4 you (respectful, literary)

Characters

君

jūn

ruler; gentleman

Examples

君子一言，驷马难追。

Jūnzǐ yì yán, sì mǎ nán zhuī.

A gentleman's word is his bond. (lit. hard for four horses to chase)

请君入瓮。

Qǐngjūnrùwèng.

Please step into the trap. (idiom: taste your own medicine)

Tips

history

君 originally meant 'ruler' in ancient China. Over time it evolved to be a respectful form of address, similar to 'you' or 'sir' in classical Chinese poetry and prose.

usage

In modern Chinese, 君 mostly appears in set phrases (君子), classical quotes, and formal/literary writing. In Japanese (kun), it is still used as a common honorific suffix.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth

Bottom indexing mouth radical. The compound ideograph reads 'hand-with-staff + mouth' = the one who issues spoken commands while holding the rod of authority — a sovereign, lord, or ruler. The mouth grounds 君 in the verbal nature of rule: a king is one whose word is law. Hence 君主 (monarch), 君臣 (sovereign and minister).

semantic

尹 yǐn

to govern; magistrate

Top-and-left 尹 — pictured a hand holding a baton or scepter of office, signifying authority and command. In 君 the ruler holds the staff of governance; the meaning of 尹 ('to govern, official') is preserved in titles like 京兆尹 (capital prefect) and 府尹 (prefecture governor).