interjection 'Alas!'

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Components
口 meaning component

  Meaning component

kǒu

  

mouth

于 sound component

  Sound component

  

at

Evolution

吁 Seal script Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal script

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
吁 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
吁 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
吁 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

interjection 'Alas!'; to sigh; sh; hush

 

variant of |[yù]

() 

to implore

Most common words with 吁
Freq.
Word
Meaning

呼吁

an appeal

sh

气喘吁吁

to pant

长吁短叹

long moan and short gasp (idiom); continually moaning and groaning in pain

气吁吁

to pant