蜀 (shǔ) - Shu — ancient name for Sichuan region & short for Sichuan province

蜀Tone 3

shǔ ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

姝树

蜀 · shǔ

Shu — ancient name for Sichuan region;

short for Sichuan province;

name of the Shu Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period;

also refers to a type of caterpillar.

Shu — ancient name for Sichuan regionshort for Sichuan provincename of the Shu Han kingdom during the

Usage highlights

Sichuan provinceShu Han kingdomShu embroideryAncient ShuShu cultureShu road

Synonyms

  • 川— Sichuan (alternative abbreviation)
  • 巴蜀— Ba-Shu (referring to the broader Sichuan region)

Antonyms

  • 魏— Wei (rival kingdom during Three Kingdoms period)
  • 吴— Wu (another rival kingdom during Three Kingdoms period)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy flavors (川菜).
  • The Shu Han kingdom was one of the Three Kingdoms (蜀汉).
  • Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance (天府之国).
  • The Shu embroidery is a famous craft (蜀绣).

Collocations

  • Sichuan province(四川省)
  • Shu Han kingdom(蜀汉)
  • Shu embroidery(蜀绣)
  • Ancient Shu(古蜀)
  • Shu culture(蜀文化)
  • Shu road(蜀道)

Idioms

  • The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to heaven(蜀道之难，难于上青天)
  • Shu dogs barking at the sun(蜀犬吠日)
  • Leaning on Shu and controlling Wu(倚蜀制吴)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Shu was one of the major states during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD), founded by Liu Bei with Zhuge Liang as his chancellor.
  • The name 'Shu' has been used for the Sichuan region since ancient times, referring to the Shu culture that existed before the Qin unification.
  • Sichuan is often called 'Shu' in literary and historical contexts, contrasting with 'Ba' (巴) for the eastern part of the province.

FAQ