君子好逑

jūnzǐ hǎoqiú
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 a fine match for a gentleman
  2. 2 a gentleman's ideal partner

Examples

HSK 7-9
“窈窕淑女,君子好逑”,难怪追她的人那么多。
" Yǎotiǎo-shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎoqiú ", nánguài zhuī tā de rén nàme duō.
'A fair and gentle maiden is a fine match for a gentleman': no wonder so many men are after her.

Tips

mistakes
Here 好 is hǎo 'good', not hào 'to like', and 逑 means 'mate', not 求 'to seek': 好逑 is 'a good mate'. Read as hào, the line turns into 'a gentleman loves to court her', a very common misreading.
history
The second half of the couplet 窈窕淑女,君子好逑 in 《关雎》, the first poem of the 《诗经》. It has been the stock line ever since for a man drawn to a fine woman.

Stroke Order

君 jūn
子 zǐ
好 hǎo
逑 qiú