How to Write 沽 (gū) — Meaning “To buy or sell”

Imagine an ancient (古) wine seller pouring water (氵) into a cup to sell wine. The water radical reminds you of the liquid, and the ‘old’ component suggests a traditional market scene where people buy and sell wine.

The left radical 氵 is three dots, written from top to bottom: dot, then a second dot slightly left, and a short diagonal stroke. The right side 古 has five strokes – horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, and a bottom horizontal – and should be balanced so the character is not too wide. Avoid making the right side too tall or the dots too far apart.

沽 (gū) means to buy or sell, especially wine, and uses the water radical with 古. 㳄 (xián) is saliva or drool, with a different right component (欠). 汊 (chà) means a branch of a river, with the water radical and a fork-like component 乂. Visually, 沽 has an ‘old’ element, while 㳄 has a ‘mouth’ shape and 汊 has a ‘cross’ shape.

沽 appears in finance as 沽空 (short selling stocks), and in idioms like 沽名钓誉 (to fish for fame). It is also found in classical references to buying or selling wine, such as 沽酒. Though not common in daily speech, it remains important in formal and literary Chinese, especially in business and legal terms.

Common words containing 沽 include: 沽酒 (gū jiǔ) — To buy or sell wine; 沽名 (gū míng) — To fish for fame; 沽空 (gū kōng) — Short sell (finance).