"Hou" and "Hou": the difference between one stroke and the meaning is thousands of miles
In our daily lives, we often encounter some similar but strange Chinese characters, such as "Hou" and "Hou". They differ only in strokes, but they are very different in meaning. 
1. The deep meaning of "Hou".
The word "Hou" was used in ancient times with "矦", which originally referred to the target of archery. There is a saying in the "Book of Songs": "The marquis is resistant, and the bow and arrow are open." It depicts the scene of archery in ancient times, in which "Hou" is the arrow target. The glyph of "Hou" also cleverly depicts the scene of people shooting arrows, and the combination of herringbone and the image of archery has far-reaching implications. 
With the evolution of history, "Hou" has gradually been associated with power and status. In the ancient title system, "Hou" ranked second and became a status symbol. For example, in the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty, the princes and monarchs, such as Zheng Guogong and Qi Guogong, all had high status. And like the Marquis of Wei and the Marquis of Guild, they refer to those monarchs who have not been officially divided by Zhou Tianzi. 
In addition, "Hou" is also used as an honorific title, especially in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, "Hou" is often used to show respect for the scholar class, such as "Respect the Marquis Mingde Gentleman, why is he sick with malaria?" in "Shishuo Xinyu". The "Hou" here does not have an official color, but simply expresses respect for the other party.
2. The multiple meanings of "waiting".
Compared with "Hou", the word "Hou" has an extra vertical, and this subtle difference gives it a completely different meaning. 
In ancient times, "waiting" was often associated with watching and investigating. In "Shuowen Jie Zi", it is explained as "serving and waiting", which means observing and waiting. In the ancient document "Zhou Li", "the city has a waiting hall", which refers to the observation building in the city, which is used to observe the surrounding situation. Similarly, the words "terminal", "waiting hall", and "waiting for the bus" all indicate the meaning of observation and waiting, especially in war, the role of scouts and other scouts is particularly crucial. 
In addition, "waiting" also means to wait and greet. In modern Chinese, we often say "waiting for someone" or "greeting someone", which reflects this meaning. At the same time, "Hou" can also mean divination, such as "Dream Six Waiting", "Waiting for the Sky", "Waiting for Things" and so on. In traditional Chinese medicine, "waiting for the pulse" refers to checking the pulse. 
To sum up, although there is only one difference between "Hou" and "Hou", there is a world of difference in meaning. The former is related to power and status, while the latter is closely related to the scenes of daily life such as observation, waiting, and greeting. When using, we should choose the appropriate words according to the specific context to avoid confusion.