Dictionary › 侯

侯

hóu

Character

What 侯 means

1. marquis, second of the five orders of ancient Chinese nobility {五等爵位|wǔ děng jué wèi}
2. nobleman; high official

Other readings

侯 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• hòuused in {闽侯|Mǐn hòu} (the name of a place in Fujian)
• Hóusurname Hou

Example sentences

• 汤姆不在的时侯，我们才可以。
  We could do it when Tom isn't here.

Words starting with 侯

• 侯爵hóu juémarquis
• 侯赛因Hóu sài yīnHusain or Hussein (name); Hussein (c. 626-680), Muslim leader whose martyrdom is…
• 侯门hóu ménnoble house
• 侯马市Hóu mǎ ShìHouma, a county-level city in Linfen City 临汾市
• 侯景之乱Hóu Jǐng zhī luànrebellion against Liang of the Southern Dynasties 南朝梁 in 548
• 侯门似海hóu mén sì hǎi(lit.) the gate of a noble house is like the sea (idiom)…
• 侯马Hóu mǎsee 侯马市

Words containing 侯

• 诸侯zhū hóudukes or princes who rule a part of the country under the emperor; local rulers
• 王侯wáng hóuaristocracy
• 列侯liè hóuduke (old); nobleman; gentry
• 夏侯Xià hóutwo-character surname Xiahou
• 宗圣侯Zōng shèng hóuhereditary title bestowed on Confucius' descendants
• 武侯区Wǔ hóu QūWuhou, a district of Chengdu City 成都市
• 诸侯国zhū hóu guóvassal state
• 王侯将相wáng hóu jiàng xiàng(lit.) kings, nobles, generals and ministers (idiom)…
• 王侯公卿wáng hóu gōng qīngaristocracy
• 闽侯县Mǐn hòu XiànMinhou, a county in Fuzhou City 福州市
• 武侯祠wǔ hóu cítemple dedicated to the memory of Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮
• 万户侯wàn hù hóuMarquis (highest Han dynasty ducal title meaning lord of 10,000 households); high nobles
• 胜者王侯败者寇shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě kòuthe winners become princes and marquises; the losers are vilified as bandits (idiom)…
• 挟天子以令诸侯xié tiān zǐ yǐ lìng zhū hóu(expr.) hold the feudal overlord and you control his vassals
• 萨达姆·侯赛因Sà dá mǔ Hóu sài yīnSaddam Hussein
• 窃国者侯，窃钩者诛qiè guó zhě hóu , qiè gōu zhě zhūsteal the whole country and they make you a prince, steal a hook and they hang you…
• 窃钩者诛，窃国者侯qiè gōu zhě zhū , qiè guó zhě hóusteal a hook and they hang you, steal the whole country and they make you a prince…
• 武侯Wǔ hóusee 武侯区
• 闽侯Mǐn hòusee 闽侯县
• 胜者王侯败者贼shèng zhě wáng hóu bài zhě zéisee 胜者王侯败者寇

Characters that look like 侯

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 候hòuto wait; to inquire after; to watch
• 恢huī(bound form) vast; expansive; (bound form) to restore; to recover
• 娱yúto amuse
• 狼lángwolf
• 俟qíused in 万俟
• 俑yǒngwooden figures buried with the dead

Sounds the same

Read hóu, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 猴monkey
• 喉throat; larynx
• 骺(anatomy) epiphysis
• 瘊wart
• 篌used in 箜篌
• 睺(appears as phonetic ho, especially in words taken from Sanskrit); half-blind (archaic)
• 𬭤metal arrowhead
• 鯸blowfish
• 糇dry provisions
• 矦old variant of 侯