How to Write 矦 (hóu) — Meaning “Marquis (ancient noble title).”

Imagine a marquis shooting an arrow (矢) at a person (亻) to enforce his rule. The arrow hits a horizontal line, marking his territory. This visual story helps link the shape to the meaning of a feudal lord.

Write the left part 矢 narrow, keeping the two inner strokes close together. The right part should be slightly taller, with the person stroke (丿) starting above the arrow. A common mistake is making the arrow too wide, which unbalances the character.

矦 has a person component (亻) on the right, while 矣 has a 厶 (private) component and means "already" or a particle. 知 replaces the person with 口 (mouth) and means "to know". Visually, 矦's right side looks like a standing figure, not a box or mouth.

矦 is an archaic variant of 侯, now rarely used except in historical texts or calligraphy. Modern Chinese uses 侯 for the marquis rank, as in 侯爵. You might encounter 矦 when reading ancient classics or seeing traditional inscriptions.

Common words containing 矦 include: 诸矦 (zhū hóu) — Feudal lords (archaic variant); 矦爵 (hóu jué) — The rank of marquis.; 矦门 (hóu mén) — Noble family; high-ranking household..