yòu
verb #16,380

Meanings

  1. 1 to bless (divine protection)
  2. 2 to protect (by heaven)

Examples

HSK 5
Yuàn shàngtiān bǎo yòu nǐ píng'ān.
May heaven bless and protect you.
HSK 6
Tiān yòu Zhōnghuá.
Heaven protects China.

Tips

usage
and are variant characters with the same meaning and pronunciation. 保佑 is more commonly written with , but (with the radical, meaning 'spirit/deity') is the older form.

Components

radical
shì
altar; spirit (radical form of 示)
Altar-on-the-left radical - the side-form of , originally a pictograph of a stone altar. Heads every character connected to ritual and divine action ( god, blessing, pray, wish, sacrifice). Locks to the realm of heavenly aid: divine blessing channelled through ritual rather than human help.
phonetic
yòu
right; to assist
Right supplies sound and meaning. Sound: yòu = yòu, identical reading. Meaning: originally pictured a hand offering help (early sense 'to assist,' preserved in , the human variant of ). With the altar radical the assistance becomes divine - heaven's hand reaching down. and are essentially the same word, one altar-side, one person-side.

No stroke data for ; the glyph shown is your device font, so component strokes can't be highlighted.

Stroke Order

yòu