區區

Chinese

		area; region; district area; region; district; small; distinguish; surname	area; region; district area; region; district; small; distinguish; surname
trad. (區區)		區	區
simp. (区区)		区	区

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): qūqū

(Zhuyin): ㄑㄩㄑㄩ
Cantonese (Jyutping): keoi¹ keoi¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): khî-khî
Eastern Min (BUC): kṳ̆-kṳ̆
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): khu-khu / khi-khi
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹chiu-chiu

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: qūqū
  - Zhuyin: ㄑㄩㄑㄩ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cyucyu
  - Wade–Giles: chʻü¹-chʻü¹
  - Yale: chyū-chyū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiuchiu
  - Palladius: цюйцюй (cjujcjuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: keoi¹ keoi¹
  - Yale: kēui kēui
  - Cantonese Pinyin: koey¹ koey¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: kêu¹ kêu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ kʰɵy̯⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khî-khî
  - Hakka Romanization System: ki^ˊ ki^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ki¹ ki¹
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰi²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰi²⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: kṳ̆-kṳ̆
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰy⁵⁵ ^(kʰ-)y⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khu-khu
  - Tâi-lô: khu-khu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qu'qw
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kʰu⁴⁴⁻³³ kʰu⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kʰu⁴⁴⁻²² kʰu⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰu³³ kʰu³³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khi-khi
  - Tâi-lô: khi-khi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qi'qy
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰi⁴⁴⁻²² kʰi⁴⁴/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹chiu-chiu
  - MiniDict: chiu^平 chiu
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹qy-qy
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡ɕʰy⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰy²¹/

Middle Chinese: khju khju

Rime
Character	區
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	溪 (29)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	豈俱切
Baxter	khju
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kʰɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/kʰio/
Shao Rongfen	/kʰio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kʰuə̆/
Li Rong	/kʰio/
Wang Li	/kʰĭu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kʰi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	heoi¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*kʰo kʰo/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	區
Reading #	2/2
No.	10605
Phonetic component	區
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	區
Old Chinese	/*kʰo/

Adjective

區區 (ideophonic)

insignificant; trifling; small; negligible
- 然秦以區區之地，致萬乘之勢，序八州而朝同列，百有餘年矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  然秦以区区之地，致万乘之势，序八州而朝同列，百有余年矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: late 1st century BCE, Jia Yi (賈誼), On the Crimes of Qin (《過秦上》)
  Rán Qín yǐ qūqū zhī dì, zhì wànshèng zhī shì, xù bāzhōu ér cháo tóngliè, bǎi yǒuyú nián yǐ. [Pinyin]
  Qin, beginning with an insignificant amount of territory, reached the power of a great state and for a hundred years made all the other great lords pay homage to it.
- 於是與客俱起，握手大笑曰：「置之，區區不足較也。」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  于是与客俱起，握手大笑曰：「置之，区区不足较也。」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1070, October 13, Ouyang Xiu, Biography of the Retired Scholar of Six Ones（《六一居士傳》）, translated by Ronald C. Egan
  Yúshì yǔ kè jù qǐ, wòshǒu dàxiào yuē: “Zhì zhī, qūqū bùzú jiào yě.” [Pinyin]
  Saying this, the scholar arose with the visitor, clasping him by the arms and laughing loudly, ‘Never mind, never mind! Let us not quibble over such trifling matters.’
(literary) sincere; devoted; genuine; solicitous
- 何以致區區？耳中雙明珠。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  何以致区区？耳中双明珠。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: c. late Han Dynasty, 繁欽 (Pó Qīn),《定情詩》, translated by Xu Yuanchong
  Héyǐ zhì qūqū? Ěr zhōng shuāng míngzhū. [Pinyin]
  How to express our feelings deer?
  Two bright pearls hanging from the ear.
- 毋亦發於不忍旁觀區區之苦心，不得不大聲疾呼以為我同胞四萬萬人告也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  毋亦发于不忍旁观区区之苦心，不得不大声疾呼以为我同胞四万万人告也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1900, February 20, Liang Qichao (梁啟超),《呵旁觀者文》
  Wú yì fā yú bùrěn pángguān qūqū zhī kǔxīn, bùdébù dàshēngjíhū yǐ wèi wǒ tóngbāo sìwànwàn rén gào yě. [Pinyin]
  Is it not also out of an earnest and heartfelt unwillingness to stand by and watch in silence, that I am compelled to cry out loudly and urgently, addressing this to my 400 million compatriots?
(literary) complacent; self-satisfied; contented
(literary) ordinary; clumsy; foolish
(literary) toiling; hard-working

Derived terms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (區區):

→ Korean: 구구(區區) (gugu)

Noun

區區

(literary) country
- 咄！此區區者果何物，而顧使之操縱我心如轉蓬哉？ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  咄！此区区者果何物，而顾使之操纵我心如转蓬哉？ [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1902, Liang Qichao（梁啟超）, 《新民説•論自由》, which has an abridged translation by Herbert A. Giles
  Duō! Cǐ qūqū zhě guǒ héwù, ér gù shǐ zhī cāozòng wǒ xīn rú zhuǎnpéng zāi? [Pinyin]
  Alas! What kind of entity is this country (China) that it should manipulate my heart as much as the wind tosses tumbleweed?

Pronoun

區區

(literary, humble, informal) I; me