zhóu
noun #10,086

Measure Word

gēn

Meanings

  1. 1 axis; axle
  2. 2 spool; roller (for scrolls)
  3. 3 classifier for calligraphy scrolls

Examples

HSK 7-9
Chēlún rào zhe zhóu xuánzhuǎn.
The wheel rotates around the axle.
HSK 7-9
Zhè fú huà zhuāngbiǎo zài yī gēn zhóu shàng.
This painting is mounted on a scroll roller.

Tips

usage
has two pronunciations: zhóu (axis, axle, spool) is the main reading; zhòu appears only in the theatrical term 压轴戏 (the penultimate act).

Components

radical
chē
cart; vehicle
Cart radical on the left, simplified form of . It pictures a cart seen from above with its central axle. An axle is the part the cart turns on, so the radical names the larger object is a piece of. Same family: turn, wheel.
phonetic
yóu
from; through
Right side supplies the sound - yóu shifted to zhóu in 's reading. There's a faint semantic echo (the axle is the rod the wheel runs 'through'), but treat here primarily as the phonetic clue. Same shape sits in to draw out, oil, sleeve.

Stroke Order

zhóu