Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 遇 (yù) evolved from ancient Chinese pictographs representing 'to meet' or 'encounter.' Its composition combines the radical 辶 (chuò), meaning 'to walk' or 'movement,' with 禺 (yú), which originally depicted a mythical creature or monkey-like figure. In Liushutong, the variant L35911 shows an early form where the walking radical and the 禺 component are clearly recognizable, though arranged differently than the modern standard. Throughout its evolution, 遇 has maintained its core meaning of 'to meet by chance,' 'encounter,' or 'treat' someone in a particular way, reflecting the serendipitous nature of encounters during travel. Arrived in Japan: The character 遇 arrived in Japan during the early waves of Chinese cultural importation, likely between the 5th and 7th centuries CE along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing (kanji) through Buddhist texts, Confucian classics, and official documents. It became established in Japanese as 'gū' (meeting, treatment) and appears in early Japanese literary works from the Nara and Heian periods.