逑 (qiú): mate; good match (literary)

Meanings

1 mate; good match (literary)
2 to gather; to bring together (literary)

Characters

逑

qiú

mate; good match

Examples

窈窕淑女，君子好逑。

Yǎotiǎo shūnǚ, jūnzǐ hǎo qiú.

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

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.