阙 (quē) - Que — refers to a watchtower, tower, or & also means imperial palace, fault, deficiency, or to

阙Tone 1

quē ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

情仁

阙 · quē

Que — refers to a watchtower, tower, or gate tower;

also means imperial palace, fault, deficiency, or to be absent;

used in surnames.

Que — refers to a watchtower, tower, oralso means imperial palace, fault, deficiency, or toused in surnames.

Usage highlights

WatchtowerImperial palaceTo be absentHistorical gapFault or deficiencyQue surname

Synonyms

  • 缺— lack, deficiency
  • 失— fault, mistake
  • 楼— tower, building

Antonyms

  • 全— complete, whole
  • 备— prepared, complete
  • 满— full, complete

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient city gate tower (城阙) stood tall.
  • He was absent from the meeting (阙席).
  • There are gaps in the historical records (史阙).
  • The imperial palace (宫阙) was magnificent.

Collocations

  • Watchtower(城阙)
  • Imperial palace(宫阙)
  • To be absent(阙席)
  • Historical gap(史阙)
  • Fault or deficiency(阙失)
  • Que surname(阙姓)

Idioms

  • Filling gaps and correcting errors(补阙拾遗)
  • Perfect without any fault(完美无阙)
  • Pointing out errors and omissions(指阙纠谬)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to watchtowers or gate towers in ancient Chinese cities, later extended to imperial palaces.
  • In classical texts, often used to mean 'fault', 'deficiency', or 'absence', especially in historical and literary contexts.
  • Used as a surname with a long history in China.

FAQ