"Qū yú" is a formal, written verb meaning 'to trend toward' or 'to move gradually toward' a particular state, condition, or outcome. It combines 趋 (qū), meaning 'to hasten,' 'to approach,' or 'to tend,' and 于 (yú), a classical preposition indicating direction or target — here functioning as a grammatical marker that links the action to its goal. Unlike colloquial verbs like 'become' or 'get,' 趋于 emphasizes gradual, often inevitable or observable movement over time, commonly used in academic, medical, economic, or scientific contexts.

The phrase typically follows a subject and precedes a noun or adjective describing the resulting state (e.g., 趋于稳定 'trends toward stability', 趋于成熟 'tends toward maturity'). It rarely appears in casual speech and is almost always found in descriptive or analytical writing — such as reports on disease progression, market behavior, or developmental stages. Its tone is neutral to slightly formal, and it carries no emotional connotation unless the complement does.