犹 (yóu): as if, (just) like, just as
犹 (yóu) is a Chinese character meaning “as if.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 犭 (semantic) and 尤 (phonetic). It ranks #1224 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 犹 dog. Its radical form 犭 (dog) appears in many related characters such as 狗 (gǒu, dog), 猫 (māo, cat), 状 (zhuàng, (bound form) form).
Definitions
- as if
- (just) like
- just as
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 犹 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 犹
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 犹太人noun | yóu tài rén | Jew |
| 犹太adjective | yóu tài | the Jews |
| 犹大proper-noun | yóu dà | Judas |
| 犹太教noun | yóu tài jiào | Judaism |
| 毫不犹豫 | háo bù yóu yù | without the slightest hesitation |
| 犹他州 | yóu tā zhōu | Utah |
| 犹豫不决phrase | yóu yù bù jué | hesitancy |
| 犹他proper-noun | yóu tā | Utah |
| 记忆犹新phrase | jì yì yóu xīn | to remain fresh in one's memory (idiom) |
| 意犹未尽phrase | yì yóu wèi jìn | to wish to continue sth |
| 犹疑verb | yóu yí | to hesitate |
| 过犹不及phrase | guò yóu bù jí | too far is as bad as not enough (idiom, from the Analects) |
| 风韵犹存phrase | fēng yùn yóu cún | (of an aging woman) still attractive |
| 犹太复国主义者 | yóu tài fù guó zhǔ yì zhě | a Zionist |
| 犹太复国主义noun | yóu tài fù guó zhǔ yì | Zionism |
犹 appears in 42 compound words: 60 as the first character, 7 as the last, and 33 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 犹 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
a cornered beast will still fight (idiom); to fight like an animal at bay
to experience a glorious defeat; to feel honored despite having been defeated
lit. although dead, as if still alive (idiom); still with us in spirit
to experience a glorious defeat; to feel honored despite having been defeated
lit. although dead, as if still alive (idiom); still with us in spirit
Example Sentences
了解犹字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè yóu zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origin of the character "犹" helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
川普政府告哈佛大学 控校方纵容反犹示威酿敌意校园
chuān pǔ zhèng fǔ gào hā fó dà xué kòng jiào fāng zòng róng fǎn yóu shì wēi niàng dí yì jiào yuán
Trump Administration Sues Harvard University, Accusing the Administration of Tolerating Anti-Semitic Protests That Fostered a Hostile Campus Environment
别再犹豫!台积电是大量买入的明确选择 外媒全说...
bié zài yóu yù ! tái jī diàn shì dà liàng mǎi rù de míng què xuǎn zé wài méi quán shuō . . .
Don't hesitate any longer! TSMC is the clear choice for a major buy—foreign media are all saying...
川普政府控加州大学纵容反犹事件 司法部提告求偿
chuān pǔ zhèng fǔ kòng jiā zhōu dà xué zòng róng fǎn yóu shì jiàn sī fǎ bù tí gào qiú cháng
Trump administration accuses University of California of condoning anti-Semitic incidents The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit for damages
美司法部就反犹主义起诉加大洛杉矶分校
měi sī fǎ bù jiù fǎn yóu zhǔ yì qǐ sù jiā dà 洛 杉 矶 fēn jiào
The U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted the University of Los Angeles for anti-Semitism
(米兰冬奥会)冰雪“意”犹未尽:米兰冬奥会上中国军团的“名场面”
( mǐ lán dōng ào huì ) bīng xuě yì yóu wèi jǐn : mǐ lán dōng ào huì shàng zhōng guó jūn tuán de míng chǎng miàn
(Milan Winter Olympics) Ice and snow "meaning" is not finished: the "famous scene" of the Chinese legion at the Milan Winter Olympics
他为什么仍然犹豫不决？
Tā wèishénme réngrán yóuyùbùjué?
Why did he remain hesitant?
他毫不犹豫地把自己的车卖了。
Tā háo bù yóuyù de bǎ zìjǐ de chē mài le.
Without the slightest hesitation, he sold his own car.
犹豫了片刻之后，他把书放在了桌子上。
Yóuyù le piànkè zhīhòu, tā bǎ shū fàng zài le zhuōzi shàng.
After some hesitation, he laid the book on the desk.
那件事在我们的脑海中还记忆犹新。
Nà jiàn shì zài wǒmen de nǎohǎi zhōng hái jìyìyóuxīn.
The event is still fresh in our memory.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 犹 (yóu) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 犹 and 扰?
How many strokes does 犹 have?
What is the radical of 犹?
What are the components of 犹?
What are common words containing 犹?
What characters sound the same as 犹 (yóu)?
Is 犹 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 犹 with real-time feedback
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