[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Literature-and-Education # 句 jù phrase, sentence ## Components [[勹 (bāo)]] [[口 (kǒu)]] [[口 kǒu]] ## Meaning The character "句" (jù) today is commonly used to refer to a sentence or phrase. ## History "句" originally meant "bend" or "curve." Its character resembles two ropes twisted together around a square nail. This makes it a compound ideogram. In ancient China, during important ceremonies, the lowest-ranked guest among nine would pass on words to the next, which was known as "向." "句" also has the same pronunciation as "勾," which means hook or to hook. Nowadays, "句" is often used to refer to a complete phrase or sentence in a language. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[句 jù - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[句 jù - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[句 jù - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[句 jù - reg.svg]]