戌

xū
noun #75,882

Meanings

  1. 1 eleventh earthly branch
  2. 2 (time) 7-9 p.m.
  3. 3 (zodiac) the Dog

Examples

HSK 5
Gǔdài xūshí zhǐ wǎnshang qī diǎn dào jiǔ diǎn.
In the old system, the xu period is from seven to nine in the evening.
HSK 7-9
戊戌变法又叫百日维新。
Wùxū Biànfǎ yòu jiào Bǎirì Wéixīn.
The Reform Movement of 1898 is also called the Wuxu Reform.

Tips

mistakes
戌 (earthly branch) looks almost identical to 戍 (to garrison) and 戊 (heavenly stem). 戌 has a short horizontal stroke inside, 戍 has a dot, and 戊 is empty inside.
culture
As the eleventh of the twelve earthly branches, 戌 pairs with the Dog in the zodiac and marks the double-hour around 7-9 p.m. It appears in dated event names like 戊戌变法.

Components

semantic
戊 wù
fifth heavenly stem; a halberd shape
The 戊 frame, based on the 戈 (halberd) radical, wraps the character; its strokes are split around the inner stroke. It is the weapon-shaped body the branch is built on.
ideograph
一 yī
one; a single line
The single short horizontal stroke inside is an abstract marker. It distinguishes 戌 from the empty 戊 and the dotted 戍.

Filed under radical 戈 (gē, #62) by convention. 戈 is not a separate component in 戌, so no strokes are highlighted.

Stroke Order

戌 xū