A 侯 was the second of the five ranks of ancient Chinese nobility.
Tips
history
矦 is an older written form of 侯 and is not used in modern Chinese. It pictures an arrow 矢 striking a target under a cliff-like cover — originally an archery butt, then by extension a feudal lord. Modern writing always uses 侯.
register
Archaic only — found in palaeography and old texts; modern Chinese writes 侯.
Components
pictograph
矦hóu
old form of 侯; archery target; lord
Read as one picture: an arrow 矢 hitting a hung target under a sheltering top 厃. Indexed under Kangxi radical 矢. Adding the person radical produced the standard 侯.
Filed under radical 矢 (shǐ, #111) by convention. 矢 is not a separate component in 矦, so no strokes are highlighted.
