beard

Original meaning: 

flesh under the chin of a cow

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "flesh under the chin of a cow", which later shifted to "beard" (now written as in traditional characters). Also used pejoratively to refer to foreigners from central Asia, who tended to have more beards than Han Chinese people. This meaning also shifted to "reckless" and "outrageous".

Components
古 sound component

  Sound component

  

old

⺼ meaning component

  Meaning component

ròu

  

meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of .

Evolution

胡 Bronze script Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze script

Late Warring States (~250 BC)
胡 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
胡 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

surname Hu

 

non-Han people, esp. from central Asia; reckless; outrageous; what?; why?; to complete a winning hand at mahjong (also written [hú])

() 

lane, alley, side street; see 衚衕|胡同[hú​tòng]

() 

beard, mustache, whiskers; beard; mustache; whiskers

Most common words with 胡
Freq.
Word
Meaning

reckless

胡锦涛

Hu Jintao (1942-), General Secretary of the CPC 2002-2012, president of the PRC 2003-2013

胡子

beard

胡说

drivel

胡萝卜

carrot

Component uses

Meaning component in 1 character (0 verified)

Sound component in 13 characters (4 verified)