吾 (wú) - I, me, my, our & classical Chinese first-person pronoun

吾Tone 2

wú ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 口

万响

吾 · wú

I, me, my, our;

classical Chinese first-person pronoun;

also used in names.

I, me, my, ourclassical Chinese first-person pronounalso used in names.

Usage highlights

I, memyourwe, usour generationour country

Synonyms

  • 我— I, me (modern standard)
  • 余— I, me (classical)
  • 予— I, me (classical)

Antonyms

  • 尔— you (classical)
  • 汝— you (classical)
  • 彼— he, she, that (classical)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I am a student (吾是学生).
  • This is my book (吾书).
  • We should study hard (吾辈当努力学习).
  • He calls himself 'I' (他自称吾).

Collocations

  • I, me(吾)
  • my(吾的)
  • our(吾的)
  • we, us(吾等)
  • our generation(吾辈)
  • our country(吾国)

Idioms

  • Three provinces myself(吾日三省吾身)
  • Keep my integrity(独善吾身)
  • Advance bravely with no thought of self(勇往无吾)
  • From youth to old age(从吾所好)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used as a first-person pronoun in classical Chinese, conveying formality and literary elegance.
  • Appears in Confucian classics and philosophical texts, associated with scholarly discourse.
  • In modern usage, primarily found in literary contexts, names, and set phrases rather than everyday speech.

FAQ