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), 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 (kpoḥ, “to be raised up, clearly visible”), & Khmer (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.

     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

     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.

     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):
• Phonetic hangul:

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.

侯: Hán Nôm readings: hậu, hầu

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