鲧 (Gǔn): Gun, a mythical figure, father…

Meanings

1 Gun, a mythical figure, father of Yu the Great
2 (archaic) a kind of large fish

Characters

鲧

Gǔn

Gun (flood-myth figure); a large fish

Examples

传说鲧治水失败，他的儿子大禹后来成功了。

Chuánshuō Gǔn zhìshuǐ shībài, tā de érzi Dà Yǔ hòulái chénggōng le.

Legend says Gun failed to control the floods, and his son Yu the Great later succeeded.

Tips

history

鲧 is not used as an ordinary word in modern Chinese — it appears almost only as the name of this flood-myth figure (also written 鮌). Its older meaning, 'a large fish', is obsolete; the everyday word for fish is 鱼.

Components

radical

鱼 yú

fish

鱼 the fish radical reflects the original sense, 'a large fish', which became the legendary figure's name.

phonetic

系 xì

to tie; connection

系 gives the sound, drifted to gǔn. In the traditional form 鯀 the phonetic is the fuller 系-derived element; the simplified form keeps 系.

In Pop Culture

鲧 Gǔn

Mythical flood-fighter who dammed the waters and failed; his son 大禹 later tamed the floods by dredging. A classic Chinese parable of rigid versus adaptive method.