栩

Refers to a type of oak tree, belonging to the genus Quercus — the broad family of acorn-bearing trees.

The precise botanical species that 栩 represented in ancient China is uncertain; it may refer to the sawtooth oak (상수리나무), the Mongolian oak (떡갈나무), or other related oak species within the same genus.

In Korean, it is traditionally glossed as ‘상수리나무’ or ‘떡갈나무’, both of which belong to the Quercus group.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

木 (나무 목) — semantic component, indicating “tree” or “wood.”

羽 (깃 우) — phonetic component, giving the sound u or heo and implying lightness or motion, which later contributed to figurative meanings of “vividness” and “animation.”

The combination suggests “a tree with leaves or structure resembling feathers or movement,” possibly referring to the delicate leaves of certain oak species.

栩栩如生 (수수여생) — “so vividly lifelike”; “as if alive”

栩然 (수연) — vividly; animatedly

橡栩 (상수) — oak trees in general

In classical literature, 栩 often appears in the idiom 栩栩如生, literally “alive like life itself,” used to praise realistic art, sculpture, or writing.

In East Asian tradition, oak trees were valued for their strength, endurance, and association with steadfastness.

Because the exact species of 栩 is uncertain, its interpretation varied by region:

Korea: identified with 상수리나무 (sawtooth oak) or 떡갈나무 (Mongolian oak), both common in the peninsula.

China: interpreted as Quercus serrata or Quercus variabilis, oaks that produce acorns and have strong, dense wood.

Japan: associated with the kashiwa or kunugi oak species, depending on regional flora.

The confusion arises because the word 참나무 in Korean is a generic term for oak trees bearing acorns — not a single species.

Hence, 栩 became a general symbol for oak-like trees, embodying the qualities of firmness, resilience, and vitality.

栩 represents life, vitality, and natural realism.

Through the idiom 栩栩如生, it came to signify the spirit of life captured in art or nature.

「栩栩然若生焉。」

“It seemed alive — vivid as life itself.”

Here, 栩 transcends its botanical origin, expressing the animation of spirit within stillness — the power of form infused with life.

The wood radical (木) symbolizes the material of life and growth, and 羽 (feather) evokes motion, spirit, and breath — together forming the image of living wood, or life embodied in form.

栩 reminds us of the living quality hidden within stillness.

A tree may appear motionless, yet within it pulses the vitality of growth — just as in art, still forms may carry living spirit.

「栩然如生者，藝之極也。」

“That which seems alive in stillness — this is the highest art.”

Thus, 栩 stands as a character of natural life, vivid expression, and enduring vitality, uniting wood’s steadfastness with feather’s grace, and teaching that true beauty lies in the harmony of substance and spirit.