róu

soft

flexible; supple; yielding; rho (Greek letter Ρρ)

spear (矛) + wood (木) = bending without breaking

A spear (矛) planted in wood (木) bends rather than breaks — the tree absorbs the force, yielding without snapping. This image of flexible resilience captures why 柔 means soft and supple.

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TreeSemantic
SpearSemantic

这块布摸起来很,小孩子会喜欢。

zhè kuài bù mō qǐ lái hěn róu,xiǎo hái zi huì xǐ huān。

This piece of cloth feels very soft to the touch; children will like it.

她说话的声音很,让人听了心里很舒服。

tā shuō huà de shēng yīn hěn róu,ràng rén tīng le xīn lǐ hěn shū fú。

Her speaking voice is very soft and gentle, making people feel comfortable when they hear it.

Words with 柔

纤柔

xiān róu

delicate

阴柔

yīn róu

gentle and reserved

以柔克刚

yǐ róu kè gāng

to use softness to conquer strength (idiom)

优柔

yōu róu

gentle

优柔寡断

yōu róu guǎ duàn

indecisive

刚柔并济

gāng róu bìng jì

to couple strength and gentleness (idiom)

包柔氏螺旋体

bāo róu shì luó xuán tǐ

Borrelia, genus of Spirochaete bacteria

外刚内柔

wài gāng nèi róu

soft on the inside despite one's hard shell

巴西柔术

bā xī róu shù

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

怀柔

huái róu

see 懷柔區|怀柔区[Huai2 rou2 Qu1]

怀柔区

huái róu qū

Huairou, a district of Beijing

柔弱

róu ruò

weak

More characters with 矛