Chou

See also: chou, chóu, chòu, chōu, and chǒu

English

Alternative forms

• Zhou (Hanyu Pinyin)
• Chow

Etymology

From Mandarin 周 (Zhōu), Wade–Giles romanization: Chou¹.

Proper noun

Chou

1. A common Chinese surname
   • 1978, Richard Nixon, “The Presidency 1969-1972”, in RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon‎^[2], Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 573:

     During the more than fifteen hours of formal talks I had with Chou we covered a wide range of issues and ideas. Since all our discussions during this trip were so frank, it was understandable that the Chinese were nervous about the possibility of leaks. I am sure that Chou had no trouble imagining the propaganda use the Kremlin would have for the transcripts of our talks.

2. Dated form of Zhou (“dynasty, realm and era”).
   • 1908, Edward Harper Parker, Ancient China Simplified‎^[3], London: Chapman & Hall, Ltd., →OCLC, page xi:

     CHOU: at first a principality in South Shen Si and part of Kan Suh, subject to Shang dynasty; afterwards the imperial dynasty itself.
     TS‘IN: principality west of the above. When the Chou dynasty moved its capital east into Ho Nan, Ts‘in took possession of the old Chou principality.
     TSIN : principality (same family as Chou) in South Shan Si (and in part of Shen Si at times).

   • 1962, Stanley Charles Nott, Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages‎^[4], Charles E. Tuttle Company, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 15:

     Considering the skill displayed in the drilling and decoration of many jades assigned to the Chou Dynasty, it would appear that the plain Huang Ts’ung originated at a much earlier date (PLATE IX).

   • 1971, William Waston, Cultural Frontiers in Ancient East Asia‎^[5], Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 81:

     In the Shang and Chou periods our knowledge from archaeology of ordinary dwellings is thus far poor, but something can be said of the more pretentious edifices.

   • 1971, “Historical Relic Unearthed During the Cultural Revolution”, in Eastern Horizon‎^[6], volume X, number 5, Hong Kong: Eastern Horizon Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26, column 2:

     A group of bronzes of the late Western Chou were uncovered in Chingshan County, Hupeh Province, and 25 pieces of stone ching (musical chimes) with a painted design of the State of Chu were found in Chiangling County of the same province.

   • 1980, Helmut Brinker, Eberhard Fischer, Treasures from the Rietberg Museum‎^[7], →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 91:

     The genesis of the Chinese bronze mirror can be traced far back into the Chou dynasty. Some pieces that may possibly date from the eighth century B.C., but certainly predate the year 655 B.C., were unearthed in 1956-1957 at Shang-ts’ung-ling near San-men-hsia in western Honan Province.

   • 1998, Chris Peers, Warlords of China 700 BC to AD 1662‎^[8], Arms and Armour Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 19:

     Eventually, the ramshackle Chou government fell apart. In 771 BC the barbarian Jung tribes sacked the Chou capital at Hao, and forced the court to flee eastwards down the Yellow River to Lo-yang. Most of the king's vassals failed to support him in this crisis. This is the context for the famous story about the foolish emperor who called out his nobles with their troops for a joke, to amuse his concubine, so that when a real invasion occurred they no longer took any notice. Whatever the truth of this, the Chou ruler could no longer rely on his over-mighty subjects.

Further reading

• “Chou”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “Chou, pn.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “Chou”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “Chou”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “Chou” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.

Anagrams

• Chūō, ouch

French

Proper noun

Chou ?

1. Shu (Egyptology)