居 jū to live
to live; to occupy
How to remember 居: 尸 corpse + 古 old = to live. Stretched out on the sofa like a corpse, my old uncle announces that our flat is where he has decided to live.
Component breakdown
居 = 尸 corpse + 古 old
- 尸 corpse
- 古 old
Stretched out on the sofa like a corpse, my old uncle announces that our flat is where he has decided to live.
How it came to be
A body seated with the legs folded, over old for the sound. The corpse block here is a person sitting down, and sitting down somewhere to stay is living there.
How it is used
- 'To reside/dwell' - 居住 (jūzhù) to live (formal), 居民 (jūmín) resident, 定居 (dìngjū) to settle down.
- Also 'to occupy a position' - 居于首位 (jūyú shǒuwèi) to rank first, 居中 (jūzhōng) in the middle.
- Watch 居然 (jūrán) = 'unexpectedly/to one's surprise' - 他居然赢了 (tā jūrán yíng le) he actually won, an idiomatic sense unrelated to living.
Characters built with 居
Words with 居
- 邻居línjūneighborHSK 3
- 居住jūzhùto resideHSK 5
- 居民jūmínresidentHSK 5
- 居然jūránunexpectedlyHSK 5
- 家居jiājūhomeHSK 6
- 定居dìngjūto settle (in some city, country etc)HSK 7
- 宜居yíjūlivableHSK 7
- 居于jūyúto be in (a position)HSK 7
- 居安思危jū’ān-sīwēito think of danger in times of safetyHSK 7
- 居高不下jūgāobúxiàto remain highHSK 7
- 民居mínjūhousesHSK 7
Example sentences
- 她是我的邻居。 Tā shì wǒ de línjū.She's my neighbor.