諸

A phono-semantic compound consists of:

言 (speech) — semantic component, relating to speech or language;

者 — phonetic element, supplies pronunciation "je / zhu."

Originally, the character functioned in Classical Chinese as a demonstrative plural marker meaning:

“the various …”

“all those …”

Semantic development:

- various; multiple;

- all; collectively;

- grammatical contraction (之於).

제군 (諸君) — gentlemen; you all

제국 (諸國) — various countries

제문제 (諸問題) — various problems

부저실행 (付諸實行) — to put into action

When used as contraction read as 저.

諸 emphasizes multiplicity as a group “the various” rather than strictly “all without exception.”

Related characters:

者 — nominalizer; “the one who”

皆 — all

衆 — multitude

各 — each

之 — classical possessive / object marker

Among these, 諸 uniquely combines plurality + classical grammatical function.

In Classical Chinese, 諸 frequently served as:

Plural demonstrative

諸侯 — the various feudal lords

諸子 — the various masters (philosophers)

Contraction of 之於 (equivalent to “of / at / in / to”)

付諸實行 — “to put into practice”

(付之於實行 → 付諸實行)

Thus 諸 may function either as:

- plural marker (“all, various”);

- grammatical contraction (“to it; thereto”).

Classical usage:

諸侯 — the various feudal lords

諸子百家 — the hundred schools of thought

付諸東流 — “to let something drift away”

There are two forms encoded:

諸 (U+8AF8) – standard form without the dot inside 者.

諸 (U+FA22) – variant form with a dot inside 者 (rarely distinguished in modern fonts).