胡
surname Hu; non-Han people, esp. from central Asia; reckless; outrageous; what?; why?; to complete a winning hand at mahjong (also written 和[hu2]); beard; mustache; whiskers
Closest English meanings
reckless·foreign·beard·why
The Calligrapher — Zhèng Dàozhāo 郑道昭
Northern Wei master whose cliff steles are a regular-script treasure.
北魏 calligrapher (), master of regular script — known for 云峰山刻石. Northern Wei dynasty
Cultural Story
胡 began as the neck dewlap of beasts, then named the northern Hu peoples beyond the frontier — hence carrots, peppers and other foreign goods that traveled the Silk Road into Chinese kitchens. From the unruly ways of the steppe it took its sense of recklessly: 胡说 talk nonsense, 胡来 act wild.
Common words & phrases
- 胡说 talk nonsense · talk rubbish
- 胡须 beard · mustache
- 胡萝卜 carrot
- 胡椒 pepper
- 胡同 alley · lane
Read the story behind the character
The kitchen proves the history: 胡萝卜 carrots and 胡椒 pepper sit in every spice rack, relics of the caravans. Grandpa strokes his 胡须 beard and scolds grandkids for 胡说 talking nonsense; kids play in the 胡同 alley until dinner. A tourist's 胡来 reckless plan to skip the queue earns a lecture.
Own this character
Purchase delivers the original SVG of this glyph, brushed by Zhèng Dàozhāo 郑道昭, ready to place on skin, paper, or screen.