Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left side (纟) compact and slightly narrower, allowing the right side (娄) to breathe and maintain stability without tipping over.
Simplification Logic: The radical 絲 was simplified to 纟, and the complex right-hand component was streamlined into 娄.
1. Meaning
strand or thread
detailed, in detailclassifier for wisps (of smoke, mist, or vapor), strands, locks (of hair)
A thousand and one intricate threads (intertwined and complex)
2. Sound
/[ly²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
缕
lǚlü3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=lǚ
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
lü
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "ü" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
l
Type: Alveolar Lateral
Sounds like: l sound
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Touch the tip of your tongue gently against the ridge behind your upper front teeth.
Final Rhyme
ü
Vowel Group: -v vowel group
Sounds like: French u sound in lune
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ü'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Starts mid, dips down to the lowest register, and rebounds upward, identical to asking a skeptical 'Really?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, changes to a rising Tone 2 (35).
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the rounded front vowel 'ü' with the plain back vowel 'u' (lu), nor confuse Tone 3 with Tone 4.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a gentle 'V' shape in the air: start medium-high, dip down to your chest, and sweep back up to the right.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left side (纟) compact and slightly narrower, allowing the right side (娄) to breathe and maintain stability without tipping over.
Simplification Logic: The radical 絲 was simplified to 纟, and the complex right-hand component was streamlined into 娄.
4. Components
Radical纟 · Silk Radical (Silk, thread, textiles)
Semantic Clue (形旁):纟 (Indicates threads, fibers, and textiles)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):娄 (original sound: lǚ)
The silk radical (纟) on the left provides the meaning of fine threads, while '娄' (lóu/lǚ) on the right provides the sound and hints at the bundled, layered shape.
纟 Silk thread
娄 Phonetic and structural component
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
19· Phonetic Root: 娄 (lóu)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the silk classifier element and a phonetic component representing fine, countable strands of spun fiber.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to fine silk threads, then broadened to describe any thread-like strands (hair, smoke, thoughts), and extended metaphorically to mean detailed or meticulous.
Often used in classical and literary Chinese to evoke delicate, fragile, or intricately connected phenomena.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
lũ
Corresponds to the Vietnamese hỏi/ngã tone range for literary borrowings.
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: リュウ (ryū) / Kun: いとぐち (itoguchi)
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Hanja (Korean)
루
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian literary root for fibrous or threaded concepts.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Picture a spool of fine silk thread (纟) being carefully unraveled strand by strand to examine every single (娄) microscopic detail.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
娄
lóusurname Lou; one of the 28 lunar mansions in Chinese astronomyPhonetic Core (声旁)