楚

Stroke order

楚 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+9, 13 strokes, cangjie input 木木弓卜人 (DDNYO), four-corner 4480₁, composition ⿱林疋)

• 儊, 𠿝, 𡢟, 憷, 濋, 檚, 𪹵, 璴, 礎, 𨭣, 齼(𬺓)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 539, character 23
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 15141
• Dae Jaweon: page 927, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1244, character 9
• Unihan data for U+695A

Historical forms of the character 楚
Shang	Western Zhou
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions

Originally, a compound formed by 林 (forest), 囗 (an enclosure), and 止 (a footprint pointing up) – according to Shuowen Jiezi, "a group of trees". Perhaps the whole character points to a location on space with a group of trees or a small forest. As seen on some versions on bronzes, the two bottom component were fused and stylized as 足, thus getting the old variant 䠂.

Eventually, the whole character was further stylized as Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *sŋ̊ʰraʔ, *sŋ̊ʰras) : semantic 林 (“forest; grove; woods”) + phonetic 疋 (OC *ŋraːʔ, *sŋra, *sŋraʔ). However, the phonetic component preserves part of the original drawing.

Schuessler (2007) proposes an Austroasiatic origin; compare Proto-Austroasiatic *ɟrla(ː)ʔ (“thorn”).

楚

1. (obsolete) Vitex; Chinese chaste tree (Vitex negundo)

   • 翹翹錯薪，言刈其楚。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     翘翘错薪，言刈其楚。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Qiáoqiáo cuò xīn, yán yì qí chǔ.

     Many are the bundles of firewood; I would cut down the chaste trees .

   Synonym: 牡荆 (mǔjīng)

2. (obsolete) thick growth of weeds or trees
3. (historical) punishment cane
4. (historical) to beat with a punishment cane
5. painful; suffering

   痛楚  ―  tòngchǔ  ―  in great pain

   苦楚  ―  kǔchǔ  ―  suffering; misery

6. neat; clear; orderly; arranged

   清楚  ―  qīngchǔ  ―  clear

   • 籩豆有楚，殽核維旅。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     笾豆有楚，肴核维旅。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Biāndòu yǒu chǔ, yáo hé wéi lǚ.

     The dishes of bamboo and wood are arranged in rows,
     With the sauces and kernels displayed in them.

7. bright; gorgeous
8. (obsolete) vulgar; unrefined
9. (～國) (historical) Chu (an ancient Chinese viscounty and kingdom along the Yangtze River during the Zhou dynasty)

   • 一齊人傅之，眾楚人咻之，雖日撻而求其齊也，不可得矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     一齐人傅之，众楚人咻之，虽日挞而求其齐也，不可得矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Yī Qí rén fù zhī, zhòng Chǔrén xiū zhī, suī rì tà ér qiú qí Qí yě, bùkě dé yǐ.

     If but one man of Qi be teaching him, and there be a multitude of men of Chu continually shouting out about him, although his father beat him every day, wishing him to learn the speech of Qi, it will be impossible for him to do so.

   • 自懷王入秦不反，楚人憐之至今，故楚南公曰『楚雖三戶，亡秦必楚』也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     自怀王入秦不反，楚人怜之至今，故楚南公曰『楚虽三户，亡秦必楚』也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zì Huái Wáng rù Qín bù fǎn, Chǔrén lián zhī zhì jīn, gù Chǔ Nán Gōng yuē ‘Chǔ suī sān hù, wáng Qín bì Chǔ’ yě.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

10. modern-day Hubei and Hunan (where the state of Chu was located)
11. (specifically) Hubei
12. a surname

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

1. whip
2. cane

• Go-on: しょ (sho)
• Kan-on: そ (so)
• Kun: いばら (ibara, 楚)、しもと (shimoto, 楚)、すわえ (suwae, 楚)^{←すはえ (sufae, すはえ, historical)←すは𛀁 (sufaye, すは𛀁, ancient)}

楚 • (cho) (hangeul 초, revised cho, McCune–Reischauer ch'o, Yale cho)

1. name of feudal state
2. clear

楚: Hán Nôm readings: sở, sỡ

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