noun #15,044

Meanings

  1. 1 to describe something as; an analogy
  2. 2 a simile; a metaphor; an allegory
  3. 3 surname Yu

Examples

Zhège bǐyù fēicháng qiàdàng.
This metaphor is very apt.
Tāyòng yùyán lái ànyù shèhuì wèntí.
He used fables to allude to social issues.

Tips

usage
Rarely used alone. Most common in compounds: 比喻 (bǐyù, metaphor), 暗喻 (ànyù, implicit metaphor), 隐喻 (yǐnyù, metaphor), 家喻户晓 (jiāyùhùxiǎo, known to every household).

Components

radical
kǒu
mouth
Left mouth radical — a small square depicting an open mouth, the indexing radical for verbs of speaking. In it grounds the meaning in spoken language: explaining through words, drawing an analogy, comparing one thing to another. Same family: speak, ask, sing.
phonetic
agree; surname (phonetic)
Right supplies the sound — yú drifting to yù with a tone change. originally pictured a hollowed-log boat (a vessel of agreement carrying people together) and means "to assent." Same phonetic kernel runs through happy, to transport, to change — all yú/yù readings.

Stroke Order