受

shòu
#238 most
frequent character
be subjecte, suffer, receive
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

受 shows a hand 爫 giving a boat to another hand 又. That gave the first sense, 'giving and receiving'. From there it narrowed to 'to receive'. The boat part, now 冖, came from 舟, chosen for a rough sound link.

Drawn as: hand giving; boat; hand receiving

受 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
授绶
picture1 character
授

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Example Sentences

我受了很大的伤害。
wǒ shòu le hěndà de shānghài 。
I suffered a lot of harm.
他受到了大家的欢迎。
tā shòudào le dàjiā de huānyíng 。
He received a warm welcome from everyone.
我接受了他的建议。
wǒ jiēshòu le tāde jiànyì 。
I accepted his suggestion.

Grammar Points

HSK 5
Passive verbs with "shou"

Words with similar meanings

承受chéngshòu
to bear
This word focuses more on enduring or bearing something, often relating to pressure or hardship.
接收jiēshōu
to receive
This term is more specific to receiving information or items, emphasizing the act of collection.

Homophones

HSK 3
瘦shòu
tight, thin, lean
兽shòu
beast, animal, beastly, bestial
授shòu
(bound form) to confer, to give
售shòu
to sell
寿shòu
long life, old age, age, life

Words Starting With 受

受不了shòu bù liǎo
unbearable; unable to endure; can't stand
受伤shòu shāng
to sustain injuries; wounded (in an accident etc); harmed
受到shòu dào
to receive; to suffer; obtained; given
受罪shòu zuì
to endure; to suffer; hardships; torments; a hard time; a nuisance

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