鞠 jū to bow
to bow; to bend
How to remember 鞠: 革 leather + 匊 handful = to bow. The old shoemaker gives the girl her new leather boots and a handful of sweets, then stands up to bow goodbye.
Component breakdown
鞠 = 革 leather + 匊 handful
- 革 leather
- 匊 handful
The old shoemaker gives the girl her new leather boots and a handful of sweets, then stands up to bow goodbye.
How it is used
- Mainly 鞠躬 (jūgōng) to bow (from the waist) - 深深鞠了一躬 (shēnshēn jūle yì gōng) to make a deep bow, a gesture of respect or apology.
- 鞠躬尽瘁 (jūgōng-jìncuì) 'to bend and give one's all' = to devote oneself utterly, work to exhaustion for a cause.
- Bound and formal; you meet it in these two.