How to Write 毂 (gǔ) — Meaning “The hub of a wheel.”

Imagine a wheel (车) with a hub in the middle that looks like a drum (殳). The sound gǔ reminds you of "goo" - picture sticky goo holding the spokes together at the hub.

Write the left radical 车 first with four strokes. The right side has nine strokes: start with a horizontal line, then a vertical and a fold, followed by a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal fold with a hook, and finish with a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is to misplace the small fold after the left-falling stroke.

毂 specifically means the hub of a wheel, while 舆 refers to a carriage or public matters (as in 舆论, public opinion). 辂 is a rare character for a type of cart. Visually, 毂 has 车 on the left and a compact right part, whereas 舆 has a larger right side with more strokes.

毂 appears in technical terms like 轮毂 (wheel hub) and 车毂 (hub of a wheel). It is also found in classical phrases such as 毂下, which means "under the hub" and poetically refers to the capital city or the emperor's presence. Today, it is mostly used in automotive and historical contexts.

Common words containing 毂 include: 轮毂 (lún gǔ) — Wheel hub; 车毂 (chē gǔ) — hub of a wheel; 毂下 (gǔ xià) — Under the hub; refers to the capital city or the presence of the emperor..