中

卯

Unicode: U+536F

Pinyin: mǎo

Definition

* 地支的第四位，属兔。 * 用于记时。 ～时（早晨五点至七点）。～正（早晨六点）。点～。画～。 * 器物接榫的地方凹入的部分。 ～眼。～榫。 * 期限。 比～（中国清代催征钱粮，分期追比）

4th terrestrial branch; period from 5-7 a.m

Structure

卯 graph

Related substructures

6vZJqtvN UzDsRZo6 kJeo7klM

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_F84143_F84243_F84343_F84443_F84543_F84643_F84743_F84844_E00044_E00144_E00244_E00344_E00444_E00544_E00644_E00744_E00844_E00944_E00A44_E00B44_E00C44_E00D44_E00E44_E00F44_E01044_E01144_E01244_E01344_E01444_E015
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_E99234_E98F34_E99134_E99334_E99734_E99C34_E99434_E99634_E99B34_E99D34_E99934_E99834_E99534_E99E34_E99A34_E9A434_E9A334_E99034_E9A034_E9A234_E9A134_E9A534_E99F
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 ->
54_E07754_E07054_E07154_E07354_E07454_E07554_E06154_E06254_E07654_E06354_E06454_E06554_E07254_E06654_E06754_E06854_E06954_E06A54_E06B54_E06C54_E06E54_E06F54_E06D54_E07854_E07954_E07A54_E07B58_E16A58_E16B58_E15D58_E15E58_E15F58_E16058_E16158_E16258_E16358_E16458_E16558_E16658_E16758_E16858_E169
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_EEFD71_EEFE71_EEFF
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_536F27_F215
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_EEFD71_EEFE71_EEFF94_ED5094_ED5194_ED5394_ED5594_ED5694_ED5494_ED5294_ED57
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_EF0185_EF0285_EF0385_EF0485_EF0585_EF0685_EF0785_EF0885_EF0985_EF0A85_EF0B85_EF0C85_EF0D

Last Modified: 2026-01-29 11:48 UTC