[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Literature-and-Education # 鼓 gǔ drum, drumming ## Components [[支 (zhī)]] [[支 zhī]] [[十 shí]] [[十 (shí)]] [[豆 dòu]] [[豆 (dòu)]] ## Meaning Today, the character "鼓" (gǔ) primarily refers to a drum or drumming. It can also metaphorically imply encouragement or incitement, as well as the act of striking or playing musical instruments. ## History "鼓" (gǔ) is a compound ideogram, originally depicting an ancient percussion instrument. It was typically covered with animal skin to produce sound and was used around the beginning of spring. In oracle bone script, "鼓" resembled a large drum fixed on a stand, with a hand holding a drumstick, illustrating scenes of drumming in ancient times. Drums were commonly used in battles to boost morale. Nowadays, while drums as instruments are less common, the character "鼓" is metaphorically used to incite or stir up, as in "鼓动" (gǔdòng) or "鼓吹" (gǔchuī). In ancient scripts, "鼓" resembled a hand holding a drumstick, striking a drum. In bronze inscriptions, it depicted the left hand holding the drumstick, striking the drum on the right. This evolved into the seal script and later into the clerical script, written as "鼓." "鼓" can also refer to striking or playing instruments, as in the poem by Li Bai from the Tang Dynasty, "虎鼓瑟兮鸾回车，仙之人兮列如麻" (hǔ gǔ sè xī luán huí chē, xiān zhī rén xī liè rú má). ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[鼓 gǔ - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[鼓 gǔ - bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[鼓 gǔ - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[鼓 gǔ - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[鼓 gǔ - reg.svg]]