guó

name of ancient feudal State in Shenxi and Hunan

Original meaning: 

to fight a tiger

Depicts a hand () and a hand holding a weapon () fighting with a tiger (). The component was later reanalyzed as (hand). Based on the original meaning "to fight a tiger". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components
爫 iconic component

  Iconic component

zhǎo

  

hand, claw

is a component form of .

寸 iconic component

  Iconic component

cùn

  

(hand), inch

Originally , which depicts a hand holding a weapon. Later reanalyzed as (hand).

虎 iconic component

  Iconic component

  

tiger

Evolution

虢 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
虢 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
虢 Clerical script Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Clerical script

Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)
虢 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

guó

name of ancient feudal State in Shenxi and Hunan

 

Guó

Guo, a kinship group whose members held dukedoms within the Zhou Dynasty realm, including Western Guo 西虢國|西虢国 and Eastern Guo 東虢國|东虢国; surname Guo

Most common words with 虢
Freq.
Word
Meaning

surname Guo

假途灭虢

lit. a short-cut to crush Guo (idiom); fig. to connive with sb to damage a third party, then turn on the partner