胄

zhòu
noun #61,263

Meanings

  1. 1 (classical) war helmet
  2. 2 (classical) descendants of a noble line

Examples

HSK 7-9
Gǔwén lǐ jiǎ zhòu zhǐ kuījiǎ hé tóukuī.
Armour and helmet together are written 甲胄 in classical Chinese.

Tips

history
胄 is not used alone in modern Chinese. It is bound in 甲胄 (armour and helmet) and 华胄 (noble descendants). Two originally separate characters, "helmet" and "lineage", merged into this one shape: a 由 head element over a flesh ⺼ base.
mistakes
Do not confuse 胄 (helmet / descendants, 由 on top) with the look-alike 胃 (stomach, 田 on top), the top boxes differ by one stroke that pokes through.

Components

radical
⺼ ròu
flesh; body
⺼ is the flesh-body radical, the form of 肉 used in body words. In the lineage sense it stands for offspring of one's own flesh and blood; in the unified character it serves as the base under the head element.
pictograph
由 yóu
head wearing a helmet (graphic)
由 here is not the word "from"; it pictures the top of a head with a helmet on it. It carries the helmet meaning of 胄.

Stroke Order

胄 zhòu