庶 (shù): numerous; the common people

Meanings

1 numerous; the common people
2 born of a concubine (as opposed to 嫡, born of the principal wife)

Characters

庶

shù

numerous; born of a concubine

Examples

他是庶出，不能继承爵位。

Tā shì shù chū, bùnéng jìchéng juéwèi.

He was a son born of a concubine and could not inherit the title.

天下庶民都安居乐业。

Tiānxià shùmín dōu ānjūlèyè.

The common people of the realm all lived in peace.

Tips

history

In the old clan system, 庶 marked children of concubines, opposed to 嫡 (children of the principal wife). The 嫡 versus 庶 distinction governed inheritance and rank, a recurring plot driver in historical dramas. The separate sense 'the many / common folk' survives in 庶民 ('the common people').

Components

radical

广 guǎng

shelter; building

The shelter radical 广 frames the top and left; the character originally pictured many people under one roof, hence the 'numerous' sense.

semantic

廿 niàn

twenty (here a graphic residue)

The middle block is a stylised residue of a hearth/fire element fused with strokes for 'crowd'; it no longer maps to an independent character but carries the 'multitude' idea.

semantic

灬 huǒ

fire

The four-dot fire 灬 at the bottom is the historical hearth under the roof, many people gathered around a fire, reinforcing 'numerous'.