哭

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 哭 (kū) for "to cry" is composed of two parts: the radical 目 (mù) for "eye" and the phonetic component 哭 (kū). The radical 目 indicates that the character is related to vision or sight, while the phonetic component 哭 provides the pronunciation.The original form of the character 哭 was a pictograph of a person with tears streaming down their face. Over time, the character evolved into its current form, which is still recognizable as a depiction of a crying person.The character 哭 is used in a variety of words and phrases related to crying, such as 哭泣 (kūqì) "to weep", 哭诉 (kūsù) "to complain tearfully", and 哭笑不得 (kūkùbùdé) "to laugh and cry at the same time". It can also be used in a figurative sense to describe something that is very sad or moving, such as 哭泣的电影 (kūqì de diànyǐng) "a tear-jerking movie".The character 哭 is a common character in Chinese, and it is important for HSK learners to be familiar with its meaning and pronunciation.