逑 (qiú) · mate; good match

Meanings

1 mate; good match
2 to gather; to bring together

Characters

逑

qiú

mate; good match

Examples

HSK 7-9

窈窕淑女，君子好逑。

Yǎotiǎo shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎo qiú.

"A graceful, virtuous lady is a fine match for a gentleman."

HSK 7-9

这句出自《诗经》的第一篇。

Zhè jù chūzì 《 Shījīng 》 de dìyī piān.

This line comes from the very first poem in the Book of Songs.

Tips

history

Best known from the opening poem of the Book of Songs: 君子好逑 - a fine lady is a good mate for a gentleman. Here 逑 means 'mate / well-matched partner', a purely classical word today.

Components

radical

辶 chuò

to walk; movement

The walking radical, written last in stroke order, gives a sense of coming together or bringing things side by side, fitting the 'match / gather' meaning.

phonetic

求 qiú

to seek

Supplies the sound directly: 求 is read qiú, and its sense of seeking quietly suits the idea of seeking a fitting partner.