Unicode: U+373D

Pinyin: zǐ

Definition

* 同"子"

(ancient form of 子) child, seed, 1st terrestrial branch

Structure

Related substructures

Precursors

Oracle Bone Script
c. 1300–1050 BCE (Late Shang)
Inscriptions carved on turtle plastrons and animal bones for divination and record-keeping in the late Shang royal court; the oldest large attested corpus of written Chinese.Wikipedia ->
43_F77B43_F77C43_F77D43_F77E43_F77F43_F78043_F78143_F78243_F78343_F78443_F78543_F78643_F78743_F78843_F78943_F78A43_F78B43_F78C43_F78D43_F78E43_F78F43_F79043_F79143_F79243_F79343_F79443_F79543_F79643_F79743_F79843_F79943_F79A43_F79B43_F79C43_F79D43_F79E43_F79F43_F7A043_F7A143_F7A243_F7A343_F7A443_F7A543_F7A643_F7A743_F7A843_F7A943_F7AA43_F7AB43_F7AC43_F7AD43_F7AE43_F7AF43_F7B043_F7B143_F7B243_F7B3
Bronze Inscriptions
c. 1200–221 BCE (Shang–Zhou; continues into the Warring States)
Inscriptions cast or engraved on ritual bronzes, especially prominent from the Western Zhou onward; a major source for early political, ritual, and social history.Wikipedia ->
34_E88D34_E86634_E86734_E86834_E86934_E87F34_E88634_E88334_E88434_E87934_E87D34_E86B34_E86A34_E88134_E88034_E86E34_E87134_E86D34_E87C34_E87E34_E87A34_E87B34_E88234_E89634_E88C34_E87034_E88834_E88B34_E89734_E88534_E88A34_E89234_E89534_E88F34_E89934_E86C34_E88E34_E89034_E88734_E87234_E8D734_E89E34_E86F34_E89C34_E8CE34_E8A434_E89D34_E89334_E89B34_E8A634_E8A034_E8CD34_E8CC34_E87834_E8AE34_E87334_E8A834_E8A134_E8A234_E87534_E89434_E87434_E89A34_E8CF34_E8D034_E89F34_E8A334_E8A534_E8A734_E8A934_E89134_E8AA34_E87634_E8D834_E8AB34_E87734_E8D634_E8D134_E8D534_E88934_E8AD34_E8AC34_E8B034_E8B734_E8D234_E8AF34_E8B334_E8BD34_E8BC34_E8B634_E8B434_E8C034_E8BE34_E8BA34_E8B934_E8B534_E89834_E8BF34_E8D434_E8B134_E8B234_E8B834_E8BB39_F0AE34_E8C334_E8C534_E8C734_E8C634_E8C834_E8C934_E8C434_E8CA34_E8C234_E8C134_E8CB34_E8DD34_E8DE34_E8DB34_E8D934_E8DA34_E8E034_E8DF34_E8DC34_E8E1
Chu Script
c. 770–221 BCE (Chu, Spring & Autumn–Warring States)
A regional script tradition used in the state of Chu, best known from brush-written bamboo and silk manuscripts with distinctive local forms.Wikipedia ->
58_E08D58_E0B358_E0AB58_E0AA58_E0AC58_E0AD58_E0AE58_E0AF58_E0B058_E0C158_E0C258_E0C358_E0C458_E0C558_E0C658_E0C758_E09C58_E09E58_E09D58_E09F58_E0A058_E0A158_E0A258_E0A358_E0A458_E0A554_E00E54_E00F53_F83F53_F84053_F84153_F84254_E00554_E00654_E00C54_E00D54_E00754_E00854_E00954_E00A54_E00B53_F81953_F81A53_F81B53_F81C53_F81D53_F83053_F81E53_F81F53_F82053_F82153_F82253_F82353_F83253_F83153_F82453_F82553_F82653_F82753_F82853_F82953_F82A53_F82B53_F82C53_F82D53_F83353_F83753_F83853_F83453_F83D53_F83553_F82E53_F83E53_F83653_F82F53_F83953_F83B53_F83C53_F83A53_F84753_F84854_E00053_F84553_F84654_E00154_E00254_E00354_E00458_E08A58_E08B58_E08C58_E0A658_E0A758_E0A858_E0A958_E0B158_E0B258_E0CB58_E0CC58_E0CD58_E0CE58_E0CF58_E0B858_E0B958_E0BA58_E0BC58_E0BB58_E0BD58_E0BE58_E0BF58_E0C058_E0B458_E0B558_E0B658_E0B758_E09258_E08E58_E08F58_E09058_E09158_E09358_E09458_E09558_E09658_E09758_E09858_E09958_E09A58_E09B58_E10258_E0C958_E0C858_E0CA58_E0FB58_E0FC58_E0FD58_E0FE58_E0FF58_E10058_E10158_E0F958_E0FA53_F84353_F84458_E0D058_E0D158_E0D258_E0D358_E0D458_E0D558_E0D658_E0D758_E0D858_E0D958_E0DA58_E10358_E10458_E0DB58_E0DC58_E0DD58_E0DE58_E0DF58_E0E058_E0E158_E0E258_E0E358_E0E458_E0E558_E0E658_E0E758_E0E958_E0EA58_E0EB58_E0EC58_E0ED58_E0EE58_E0E858_E0EF58_E0F058_E0F258_E0F158_E0F358_E0F458_E0F558_E0F658_E0F858_E0F7
Qin Script
c. 475–206 BCE (Qin, Warring States → Qin dynasty)
Qin-area character forms attested on bamboo/wood slips (e.g., Shuihudi, deposited 217 BCE), overlapping chronologically with the standardization of seal script and the emergence of clerical tendencies.Wikipedia ->
71_EEE371_EEE671_EEE471_EEE871_EEE771_EEE5
Small Seal Script
Standardized 221–206 BCE (Qin); developed earlier in Qin
The standardized seal script promulgated after Qin’s unification, based on earlier Qin seal forms and used as an empire-wide norm.Wikipedia ->
27_5B5027_F07427_EDB3
Clerical Script
c. 300 BCE–220 CE (emerged late Warring States/Qin; dominant Han)
A practical script that evolved from late Warring States/Qin writing; it matured and became dominant in the Han dynasty, favoring faster, more rectilinear strokes.Wikipedia ->
71_EEE371_EEE671_EEE471_EEE871_EEE771_EEE594_ECC494_ECC594_ECC694_ECC794_ECC894_ECC994_ECCA94_ECCB94_ECCC94_ECCD94_ECCE94_ECCF94_ECD094_ECD194_ECD294_ECD394_ECD494_ECD594_ECD694_ECD7
Transmitted Pre-Qin Forms
Pre-Qin forms (≤221 BCE) / late 2nd century BCE onward (Han → later textual transmission)
Pre-Qin character forms preserved through later textual transmission (often discussed as the 'Old Text' / guwen tradition). Shaped by repeated copying, they can diverge from excavated Warring States materials.Wikipedia ->
85_EE3A85_EE3B85_EE3C85_EE3D85_EE3E85_EE3F85_EE4085_EE4185_EE4285_EE4385_EE4485_EE4585_EE4685_EE4785_EE4885_EE4985_EE4A85_EE4B85_EE4C85_EE4D85_EE4E85_EE4F85_EE5085_EE5185_EE5285_EE5685_EE5385_EE5485_EE5585_EE5785_EE5885_EE5985_EE5A85_EE5B85_EE5C85_EE5D85_EE5E85_EE5F85_EE6085_EE6185_EE6285_EE6385_EE6485_EE6585_EE6685_EE6785_EE6885_EE6985_EE6A85_EE6B85_EE6C85_EE6D85_EE6E85_EE6F85_EE7085_EE7185_EE7285_EE7385_EE7485_EE7585_EE7685_EE7785_EE7885_EE7985_EE7A85_EE7B85_EE7C85_EE7D