偻
Character Story & Explanation
偻 is rarely used alone in modern Mandarin but appears in fixed literary or idiomatic expressions. Most notably, it features in the classical idiom ‘伛偻提携’ (yǔ lǚ tí xié), from Ouyang Xiu’s *Record of the Drunken翁 Pavilion*, describing the elderly (伛偻, stooped) and children (提携, carried) — symbolizing societal inclusivity and benevolent governance. It also appears in medical-historical texts like the *Huangdi Neijing*, where postural anomalies were linked to organ imbalances, reflecting traditional Chinese medicine’s somatic-philosophical framework.
The character is not pictographic; its form evolved from seal script where the right side (婁) served phonetically (lǚ), while the left 亻 indicates personhood. No oracle-bone or bronze inscriptions of 偻 exist—it first appears reliably in Han dynasty texts. Today, Chinese learners encounter it primarily in classical reading courses or when studying idioms like 伛偻提携, not in casual speech.
The character 偻 (lǚ) embodies a subtle yet profound aspect of the Chinese worldview: the interplay between physical form and moral or social perception. Historically, bodily deviation—like a bent spine—was not merely medical but often interpreted through Confucian lenses of harmony, propriety, and visible alignment with cosmic order. A straight posture symbolized integrity and respect; thus, 偻 subtly evokes cultural associations with humility, aging, or even quiet endurance rather than mere disability.
In classical texts, 偻 appears in contexts where physical bearing reflects inner state—such as the stooped reverence of elders or scholars bowed in deep study. This reflects a holistic sensibility: the body is never neutral—it communicates attitude, status, and virtue. The radical 亻 (person) anchoring the character underscores that this curvature is inherently human, not abstract—a lived condition embedded in relational ethics.
Modern usage retains this layered resonance. While clinical terms like 驼背 (tuóbèi, 'hunchback') dominate medical discourse, 偻 persists in literary and idiomatic registers, carrying poetic gravity. Its rarity in daily speech signals its elevated register—akin to using 'stooped' instead of 'bent' in English—to evoke pathos, dignity, or time-worn wisdom. Thus, 偻 opens a window into how Chinese language encodes embodied philosophy: posture as narrative, curvature as character.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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