擧

Phono-semantic compound:

手 (손 수) — semantic component, indicating manual action such as lifting or raising.

與 (줄 여) — phonetic component, lending the sound jǔ and implying participation or giving.

Originally, 擧 (or its earlier forms 舉 / 𦦙) depicted a pair of hands lifting something, emphasizing the physical motion of raising.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「擧，舉手也。从手，與聲。」

“擧 means to raise the hands; composed of 手 (‘hand’) and phonetic 與 (‘to give’).”

This establishes the earliest semantic sense — to raise one’s hands — from which all later meanings derive.

Semantic evolution:

Physical: to lift, raise, elevate (hands, objects, persons).

Actional: to perform, to carry out (a deed, event, or act).

Moral/political: to recommend or promote (a worthy person).

Collective/abstract: to encompass all; to unite under a single act (一擧).

Idiomatic: in Korean and Japanese classical idioms, symbolizes graceful or respectful movement (as in 擧案齊眉).

擧行 (거행) — to hold or conduct (a ceremony or event)

擧動 (거동) — movement; behavior; act

擧世 (거세) — the whole world

擧發 (거발) — initiation; outbreak

擧薦 (거천) — recommendation

擧案齊眉 (거안제미) — “to raise the tray to the level of the eyebrows,” a classical idiom expressing deep respect between spouses

Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, vol. 526):

「擧，舉也；擧手動作也；又舉行、擧薦之義。」

“擧 means to raise; to move the hands; also to perform or to recommend.”

In Confucianism, 擧 embodies virtuous action — not mere movement, but conduct rooted in righteousness (擧直錯諸枉).

Analects (論語 · 泰伯篇):

「擧直錯諸枉，能使枉者直。」

“Raise the upright and set them above the crooked; thus the crooked will become straight” — 擧直 here means “to elevate the upright,” illustrating the moral sense of promotion by virtue.

Mencius (孟子 · 盡心章句下):

「擧天下之賢才而敎養之。」

“Raise and cultivate all the worthy talents under Heaven” — 擧 denotes recruitment and encouragement of virtue.

Book of Documents (書經 · 泰誓):

「一擧而定天下。」

“With a single action, he brought all under Heaven to order” — 一擧 expresses the idiom “in one decisive act.”

In ritual usage, it implies formal observance or performance (e.g., wedding or memorial ceremonies).

In bureaucratic language, 擧賢 (to recommend the worthy) and 擧人 (recommended person; degree candidate) show its institutional importance in Chinese civil examination culture.

Over centuries, it expanded from physical elevation to moral and institutional promotion, formal performance, and renewal through action.

In all contexts—ceremonial, ethical, or linguistic—擧 retains the timeless sense of “raising up”: to act, to honor, to begin anew.

擧 has several historical and regional variants:

舉 (U+8209) — the standard traditional form in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau; also the form used in the Kangxi Dictionary.

𦦙 (U+26999) — an older variant found in seal and clerical scripts, with the lower part expanded.

举 — simplified Chinese form, standard in Mainland China.

Korea and Japan preserve 擧 as the canonical regular form (正字).

Mainland China lists 舉 as the traditional form and 擧 as an alternate (異體字).