伛
Character Story & Explanation
In contemporary Chinese, 伛 appears primarily in formal writing — medical reports, literature, and respectful descriptions of elderly people. It features in the idiom 伛偻提携 (yǔlǚ tíxié), from Ouyang Xiu’s *Zuiweng Ting Ji* (‘Record of the Drunken翁 Pavilion’), meaning ‘the bent and the young being led by hand’ — symbolizing inclusive care across generations. This phrase remains widely quoted in education and public discourse on social welfare and filial piety.
The character’s form is not pictographic but phono-semantic: 亻 (person) + 于 (yú, phonetic hint for yǔ). While 于 originally meant ‘to be at’, its use here is purely phonetic — confirmed by historical dictionaries like the *Shuōwén Jiězì* (121 CE). No oracle-bone or bronze inscriptions of 伛 exist; it emerged later in clerical script, reflecting its literary rather than colloquial origin.
The character 伛 (yǔ) vividly captures the physical posture of a hunched back — shoulders drawn forward, spine curved, head lowered. It’s not merely anatomical; in Chinese, it carries quiet dignity and subtle empathy, often evoking respect for elders or compassion for those bearing life’s weight. Its two-stroke radical 亻 (person) anchors it in human experience, while the right side 于 suggests constraint or limitation — together forming a compact visual metaphor for bodily stoop under enduring pressure.
Unlike clinical terms like 驼背 (tuóbèi, 'camel-back'), 伛 is literary and restrained, appearing more in written language than casual speech. It appears in classical poetry and modern essays to convey humility, age, or quiet resilience — never mockery. Its rarity in spoken Mandarin reflects cultural sensitivity: describing someone as 伛 is poetic, not diagnostic, and always contextually softened by tone and intent.
This character exemplifies how Chinese writing encodes nuance beyond literal meaning. A single stroke shift changes everything: 伛 (yǔ, hunchbacked) vs. 妪 (yù, elderly woman) shares the same phonetic component but diverges in radical and connotation. Such precision invites learners to see characters not as symbols, but as embodied gestures — where posture becomes language, and language honors lived experience.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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