拒
Character Story & Explanation
拒 is widely used in modern Chinese public life — especially in official discourse. For example, the phrase 拒腐防变 (jù fǔ fáng biàn), meaning 'resist corruption and prevent degeneration', appears in CPC discipline documents and anti-graft campaigns since the 1990s. In daily life, people say 我拒收 (wǒ jù shōu) on delivery apps when refusing a package, and 拒绝 (jùjué) is among the top 50 most frequent verbs in contemporary written corpora (Beijing Language and Culture University, 2022). It also appears in legal terms like 拒不执行 (jù bù zhíxíng) — 'refuse to comply' — a criminal offense under Article 313 of China’s Criminal Law.
The character evolved from seal script (c. 3rd century BCE), where 扌 (hand) was clearly distinct and 巨 represented a large, rigid structure — symbolizing firmness. While no oracle-bone form survives, bronze inscriptions show early variants with 扌 + 巨, confirming its semantic-phonetic design by the Warring States period. Its form has remained stable for over 2,200 years.
Hello students! Today we’ll learn 拒 (jù), a Level 4 HSK character meaning 'to resist' or 'to refuse'. It’s a very common verb used in both spoken and written Chinese — think of saying 'no' firmly, turning down an offer, or blocking unwanted influence. Its radical 扌 (hand) tells us it’s action-oriented: something you *do* with intention, not just feel. The right side 巨 (jù) gives the sound — yes, it’s a phonetic component! This is a classic example of a semantic-phonetic compound (形声字), the most common type in modern Chinese.
Don’t confuse 拒 with simple negation like 不 (bù) or 没 (méi). 拒 implies active opposition — a deliberate, often formal or principled rejection. You might 拒绝 an invitation, 拒收 a package, or 拒腐 anti-corruption slogans use this word to mean 'resist corruption'. It carries weight and agency: it’s not passive refusal, but conscious resistance. That’s why it appears in serious contexts — government documents, news reports, and ethics education.
Writing it is straightforward: only 7 strokes! Start with the hand radical 扌 (three strokes), then add 巨 (four strokes: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, then the closing hook). Practice writing it slowly while saying 'jù' aloud — linking sound, shape, and meaning builds strong memory. Remember: every time you write the hand radical, you’re reminding yourself this is an *action* — resisting isn’t abstract; it’s something you *do* with your will and effort.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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