屈 (qū): bent, to feel wronged
屈 (qū) is a Chinese character meaning “bent.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 尸 (semantic) and 出 (phonetic). It ranks #1670 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 屈 corpse. Its radical form 尸 (corpse) appears in many related characters such as 层 (céng, to pile on top of one another), 尽 (jǐn, to the greatest extent), 屋 (wū, (bound form) house).
Definitions
- bent
- to feel wronged
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 屈 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 屈
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 屈服verb | qū fú | to surrender |
| 不屈verb | bù qū | unyielding |
| 屈辱verb | qū rǔ | to humiliate |
| 屈从verb | qū cóng | to submit |
| 不屈不挠phrase | bù qū bù náo | unyielding |
| 冤屈verb | yuān qū | to treat unjustly |
| 屈指可数phrase | qū zhǐ kě shǔ | (lit.) can be counted on one's fingers (idiom) |
| 首屈一指phrase | shǒu qū yī zhǐ | to count as number one (idiom) |
| 屈尊verb | qū zūn | to condescend |
| 宁死不屈phrase | nìng sǐ bù qū | rather die than submit (idiom) |
| 屈才verb | qū cái | to waste talent |
| 能屈能伸 | néng qū néng shēn | can bow and submit, or can stand tall (idiom, from Book of Changes) |
| 坚强不屈 | jiān qiáng bù qū | staunch and unyielding (idiom) |
| 屈光度 | qū guāng dù | diopter |
| 叫屈verb | jiào qū | to complain of an injustice |
屈 appears in 45 compound words: 53 as the first character, 27 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 屈 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
to be unable to put forth any convincing arguments to justify one's opinion; to not have a leg to stand on
can bow and submit, or can stand tall (idiom, from Book of Changes); ready to give and take; flexible
to be unable to put forth any convincing arguments to justify one's opinion; to not have a leg to stand on
can bow and submit, or can stand tall (idiom, from Book of Changes); ready to give and take; flexible
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 屈.
Example Sentences
了解屈字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè qū zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origin of the character "屈" helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
...一审26日宣判 柯文哲透露绿营大老为他抱屈:没证据才要编故事
. . . yī shěn 2 6 rì xuān pàn 柯 wén zhé tòu lù lǜ yíng dà lǎo wéi tā bào qū : méi zhèng jù cái yāo biān gù shì
... The verdict was pronounced on the 26th of the first instance, and Ke Wenzhe revealed that the elder of the green camp was aggrieved for him: there is no evidence to make up a story
柯林顿为艾普斯坦案赴国会作证 川普帮叫屈
柯 lín dùn wéi ài pǔ sī tǎn àn fù guó huì zuò zhèng chuān pǔ bāng jiào qū
Clinton testified before Congress about Epstein's case, and the Trump gang was wronged
最适合夫妻长期避孕药有哪些?含屈螺酮的短效药安全性如何
zuì shì gě fū qī cháng qī bì yùn yào yǒu nǎ xiē ? hán qū luó 酮 de duǎn xiào yào ān quán xìng rú hé
What are the best long-term contraceptives for couples? How safe are drospirenone-containing short-acting drugs?
...埋单!港男不慎争赢焗畀$1,560 呻被屈钱
. . . mái dān ! gǎng nán bù shèn zhēng yíng 焗 畀 1 , 5 6 0 shēn bèi qū qián
... Pay the bill! A Hong Kong man accidentally won $1,560 and was wronged
东西问丨美国大军压境,伊朗为何“还不屈服”?
dōng xī wèn 丨 měi guó dà jūn yā jìng , yī lǎng wéi hé hái bù qū fú ?
East and West ask丨The US army pressed the border, why did Iran "not give in"?
你不应该屈服在诱惑之下。
Nǐ bù yīnggāi qūfú zài yòuhuò zhīxià.
You must not yield to temptation.
民主主义者是屈服于大部分人的自由公民。
Mínzhǔzhǔyìzhě shì qūfú yú dàbùfen rén de zìyóu gōngmín.
A democrat is a free citizen who yields to the will of the majority.
山田的英语在他的班上是首屈一指的。
Shāntián de Yīngyǔ zài tā de bānshàng shì shǒuqūyīzhǐ de.
Yamada is second to none in English in his class.
我宁可死也不屈服。
Wǒ nìngkě sǐ yě bù qūfú.
I would rather die than yield.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 屈 (qū) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 屈 and 础?
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What is the radical of 屈?
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What are common words containing 屈?
What characters sound the same as 屈 (qū)?
Is 屈 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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