衢

[yuechu]

大家好！

I recently learned the character 衢 from the city name 衢州 in 浙江 province. Is this character widely used outside of the city name?

Thanks!

EDIT: Thanks, Bragandbounce! I've corrected 山东 to 浙江。

 

[Contraine]

No, the character is rarely used in modern Chinese.

 

[bragandbounce]

It's actually in Zhejiang province. It's very rare to see this character in modern Chinese.

 

[yuechu]

No, the character is rarely used in modern Chinese.

Thanks, Contraine! Would many people know how to pronounce it?

It's actually in Zhejiang province. It's very rare to see this character in modern Chinese.

Oh, you're right. Thanks for the correction! (Not sure how I got the provinces mixed up there) I've corrected the original post above.

 

[bragandbounce]

Would many people know how to pronounce it?

衢州 is not a well-known city. Many people in China don't know it. I guess fewer people know 衢 if you separate it from 衢州. I am not even sure many Chinese teachers know this character.

 

[Contraine]

Thanks, Contraine! Would many people know how to pronounce it?

衢 is a relatively uncommon Chinese character, and its pronunciation is not immediately obvious even to many native speakers. Still, a well-educated native speaker or someone familiar with classical literature or certain place names would likely recognize and know how to pronounce it.

 

[Deinonychus]

Besides the city of 衢州, I only came across this word in the classical Chinese version of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, in which there is a phrase "衢地交合"。

 

[Contraine]

Besides the city of 衢州, I only came across this word in the classical Chinese version of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, in which there is a phrase "衢地交合"。

Recently I've been reading "劝学" by 荀子, and there's a sentence that goes: 行衢道者不至 (On a path astray one finds not the destination sought).