侯

Stroke order

侯 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人弓一大 (ONMK), four-corner 2723₄, composition ⿰亻⿱⿱𠃍一矢 or ⿰亻⿱⿱乛一矢)

• 喉, 猴, 堠, 帿, 瘊, 睺, 篌, 糇, 緱/缑, 葔, 鍭/𬭤, 餱/𫗯, 鄇, 㢿, 㬋, 㮢, 䂉, 䗔, 䙈, 䞀/𬥽, 䫛, 翭, 鯸, 䳧/𪃶/𫛺, 𠋫, 𡗁, 𡟑, 𡹵, 𪹍, 𢜵, 𢰡, 𣣠, 𤧝, 𤬈, 𥀃, 𦑤, 𦞈, 𧇹, 𧩨, 𧯁, 𨂸, 𩃺, 𩋴, 𩘋, 𩩵, 𪈱, 𪑻

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 103, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 633
• Dae Jaweon: page 218, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 167, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4FAF

 

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 侯姓 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• Hou (surname) (English)

Historical forms of the character 侯
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script   j13283   j13284   j13285   j13286   j13287   j13288   j13289   j13290   j13291   j13292   j13293   j13294   j13295   j13296   j13297   j13298   j13299   j13300   j13301   j13302   j13303   j13304   j13305   j13306   j13307   j13308   j13309   j13310   j13311   j13312   j13313   j13314   j13315   j13316   j13317   j13318   j13319   j13320   j13321   j13322   j13323   j13324   j13325   j13326   j13327   j13328   j13329   j13330   j13331   j13332   j13333   j13334   j13335   j13336   j13337   j13338   j13339   j13340   j13341   j13342   j13343   j13344   j13345   j13346   j13347   j13348   j13349   j13350   j13351   j13352   j13353   j13354   j13355   j13356   j13357   j13358   j13359   j13360   j13361   j13362   j13363   j13364 Bronze inscriptions   b08167   b08168   b08169   b08170   b08171   b08172   b08173   b08174   b08175   b08176   b08177   b08178   b08179   b08180   b08181   b08182   b08183   b08184   b08185   b08186   b08187   b08188   b08189   b08190   b08191   b08192   b08193   b08194   b08195   b08196   b08197   b08198   b08199   b08200   b08201   b08202   b08203   b08204   b08205   b08206   b08207   b08208   b08209   b08210   b08211   b08213   b08214   b08215   b08216   b08217   b08218   b08219   b08220   b08221   b08222   b08223   b08224   b08225   b08226   b08227   b08228   b08229   b08230   b08231   b08232   b08233   b08234   b08235   b08236   b08237   b08238   b08239   b08240   b08241   b08242   b08243   b08244   b08245   b08246   b08247   b08248 Transcribed ancient scripts   L33678   L33679   L33680   L33681   L33682   L33683   L33684   L33685   L33686   L33687   L33688   L12079   L12080   L12081   L12082   L12083   L12084   L12085   L12086   L12087   L12088   L12089   L12090   L12091   L12092   L12093   L12094   L12095   L12096   L12097   L12098   L12099   L12100   L12101   L12102
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Pictogram (象形) – a target for arrows.

"target" > "prince, marquis"

侯 (OC *ɡoː)'s connection to archery is noted by Schuessler (2007), Theobald (2017)[1], Goldin (2021), etc. Goldin further relates it to 鍭 (OC *ɡoː, *ɡoːs, “arrow with metal tip”), which Schuessler instead relates to 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, *ɡoːs).

Schuessler (2007) proposes an Austroasiatic etymology, comparing 侯 (OC *ɡoː) to Khmer គាស់ (kŏəh, “to raise (a crossbow) with a view to aiming”), Khmer [script needed] (kpoḥ, “to be raised up, clearly visible”), & Khmer [script needed] (goḥ, “to hit (squarely)”).

When meaning "target > prince, marquis", possibly distinct from 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, *ɡoːs, “(head >) ruler > queen”) (Schuessler, 2007; Goldin, 2021).

Its derivatives, from sense "target (n.) > to target (v.)", are 候 (OC *ɡoːs) & 觀 (OC *koːn, *koːns), both meaning "to watch" (Schuessler, 2007); contra Lau (1999), who thinks sense "to watch" to be fundamental and "target; lord, marquis" to be derivatives..

"to be; to have"

Austroasiatic (Schuessler, 2007). Compare Proto-Vietic *kɔːʔ (“to have, to be”) and Proto-Monic *gooʔ (“to get, to possess”); compare also Jingpho gu³¹ (“to have”).

侯

1. marquis; lord

   • 王者之制：祿爵，公、侯、伯、子、男，凡五等。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王者之制：禄爵，公、侯、伯、子、男，凡五等。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Wángzhě zhī zhì: lùjué, gōng, hóu, bó, zǐ, nán, fán wǔděng. [Pinyin]

     According to the regulations of emolument and rank framed by the kings, there were the duke; the marquis; the earl; the count; and the baron - in all, five gradations (of rank).

2. (obsolete) target

   • 終日射侯 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     终日射侯 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhōngrì shè hóu [Pinyin]

     Shooting all day at the target

3. (obsolete) to be, to have

   • 山有嘉卉、侯栗侯梅。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Shān yǒu jiāhuì, hóu lì hóu méi. [Pinyin]

     On the mountains are fine trees, - there are chestnut trees and there are plum trees.

4. a surname

   侯孝賢／侯孝贤  ―  Hóu Xiàoxián  ―  Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwanese film director)

Others:

• → Manchu: ᡥᡝᠣ (heo)

侯

1. Only used in 閩侯／闽侯 (Mǐnhòu).

(Jōyō kanji)

1. marquis
2. lord
3. daimyo

• Go-on: ぐ (gu)
• Kan-on: こう (kō, Jōyō)
• Kun: まと (mato, 侯)、きみ (kimi, 侯)

From Middle Chinese 侯 (MC huw).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɸʷu]
• Phonetic hangul: [후]

 

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

侯

Wikisource

侯 (eumhun 제후 후 (jehu hu))

1. hanja form^? of 후 (“marquis; lord”)
2. hanja form^? of 후 (“target in archery”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

侯: Hán Nôm readings: hậu, hầu

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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