球 is a Chinese character with HSK 2 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
球 does not appear in oracle-bone script and is a phono-semantic compound. The left component 玉 (jade, written 王) indicates meaning, since the character originally denoted a round piece of fine jade, and 求 on the right supplies the phonetic value qiú.
Form evolution
The character appears in its settled form from seal script onwards, with 玉 on the left and 求 on the right. Clerical and regular script simplified the jade radical to the three-stroke 王 used in compounds, while 求 retained its shape with only minor stroke straightening.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning was a round jade ornament or chime-stone used in ritual music. It generalised to mean any sphere or ball-shaped object, and in modern Mandarin is the everyday word for ball, globe, and by extension sports played with one.
Cultural note
The ancient ritual sense survives in the classical phrase 球琳 (fine jade) found in early texts like the Shujing. In modern use 球 is productive in compounds such as 地球 (Earth, literally earth-ball) and 足球 (football, literally foot-ball).
Basic info
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #276 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 球
On the new HSK 2 exam
Studying for HSK 2? Keep 球 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.