渠 (qú) - Ditch, canal, channel & also used as a third-person pronoun 'he/she' in

渠Tone 2

qú ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

情仁

渠 · qú

Ditch, canal, channel;

also used as a third-person pronoun 'he/she' in some dialects;

large, great.

Ditch, canal, channelalso used as a third-person pronoun 'he/she' inlarge, great.

Usage highlights

Irrigation ditchCanal systemDitch diggingDrainage ditchGrand planHe/she

Synonyms

  • 沟— ditch, gully
  • 槽— trough, channel
  • 他— he/him (standard Mandarin)

Antonyms

  • 旱— drought, dry
  • 小— small, little

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • They built an irrigation ditch (水渠).
  • The water flows through the canal (渠道).
  • In some dialects, he said (渠说) means 'he said'.
  • This is a large tree (渠树).

Collocations

  • Irrigation ditch(水渠)
  • Canal system(渠道)
  • Ditch digging(挖渠)
  • Drainage ditch(排水渠)
  • Grand plan(宏渠)
  • He/she (dialectal)(渠)

Idioms

  • Water to a thousand ditches(水到渠成)
  • Divert water into new channels(开渠引水)
  • Clear water in the ditch(清渠之水)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically important in Chinese agriculture for irrigation systems and water management.
  • Used as a third-person pronoun in some southern Chinese dialects like Cantonese and Hakka.
  • In ancient texts, sometimes used to mean 'great' or 'large' in reference to significant things.

FAQ