HanziGuru.猶 · yóu
猶
yóu[you2]Tone 2

still / as if

HSK 5
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犹
Guru Deep Dive

English · still / as if

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (犭) takes up about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (酋) wider and balanced to prevent the character from tipping over.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 猶 is simplified to 犹 by using the standard simplified dog radical 犭 on the left.
1. Meaning

still, yet

as if, just likehesitate, vacillate
Adverb / VerbNeutral / Literary#adverbs#comparisons#mental state
Sample Usage
  • 他虽然老了，行动却犹健。
    tā suīrán lǎole, xíngdòng què yóu jiàn.
    Although he is old, his movements are still robust.
  • 岁寒，然后知松柏之后凋也。
    suì hán, ránhòu zhī sōngbǎi zhī hòu diāo yě.
    Only in cold weather do we know that the pine and cypress are the last to wither. (Note: 犹 often appears in classical idioms like 犹豫 yóuyù - hesitate).
2. Sound
/[joʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
猶
yóuyou2
++
´(35)
=yóu
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Palatal Glide (Zero Initial)
Sounds like: y glide (like 'y' in yes)
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue body raises toward the hard palate, transitioning smoothly into the vowel.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh/ow sound
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a questioning English sentence (e.g., 'Huh?'), starting mid and going straight up.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, the first syllable shifts to a mid-rising tone (around 35).
👂
Listening trap: Confusing Tone 2 (óu) with Tone 4 (òu) in fast speech, turning 犹 (yóu) into 卣 (yǒu - 214) or similar sounding words.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving upward from chest level to eye level, mirroring the upward pitch of Tone 2.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (犭) takes up about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right component (酋) wider and balanced to prevent the character from tipping over.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 猶 is simplified to 犹 by using the standard simplified dog radical 犭 on the left.

4. Components

Radical 犭 · Dog Radical (Animals, beasts, behavior)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 犭 (Relates to animal characteristics or wild nature.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 酋 (original sound: qiú)

A wild dog (犭) stands by a wine vessel with a lid (酋), sniffing carefully and hesitating whether to drink, remaining STILL.

  • 犭 dog radical
  • 酋 wine jar / leader / phonetic clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally referred to a type of wild beast resembling a macaque or dog. Over time, the character was borrowed for its sound to mean 'still', 'yet', or 'as if'.

Semantic Evolution: From a specific animal name to abstract grammatical functions of comparison ('like') and continuation ('still').

  • The component 酋 originally depicted a wine vessel with steam or aroma rising from it.
  • In modern Mandarin, it is most famously seen in the word 犹豫 (yóuyù - hesitate), where both characters feature animal radicals historically tied to wild canine behavior.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ユウ (yū)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
유
Sound Shift Bridge: The pinyin 'yóu' corresponds to Japanese 'yū' in compounds.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A wild DOG (犭) looks at a wine jar (酋) and hesitates, STILL not sure if it should drink, acting AS IF it knows better.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
酋
qiúchief, leaderBase phonetic component without the dog radical.
尊
zūnrespect, honorTop part incorporates hands holding the wine vessel.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
犹(yóu)
Do not confuse with 尊 zūn which means respect and has a different top structure.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他雖然失敗了，但[___]然很有信心。
Clue: yóu
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 犹 (yóu - still/as if) with 极 (jí - extreme) due to visual similarity of the right-side components in messy handwriting.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 犹 mean when you see it in 犹豫 (yóuyù)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'still / as if' with a dog radical on the left?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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