中

言

Unicode: U+8A00

Pinyin: yín yàn yán

Variants:䇾訁讠𢍗𢍬𦉴𧩁

Definition

* 讲，说。 ～说。～喻。～道。～欢。～情。～必有中（ zhòng ）（一说就说到点子上）。 * 说的话。 ～论。～辞（亦作"言词"）。语～。～语。～简意赅。 * 汉语的字。 五～诗。七～绝句。洋洋万～。 * 语助词，无义。 ～归于好。"～告师氏，～告～归"。 * 姓

words, speech; speak, say

Structure

Related substructures

MN2YZ82J iWH8IJXm 4IrAJblv

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 ->
41_EC8741_EC8841_EC8941_EC8A41_EC8B41_EC8C41_EC8D41_EC8E41_EC8F41_EC90
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 ->
31_EB9E31_EB9F31_EBA031_EBA131_EBA2
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 ->
51_ECC551_ECC651_ECA551_ECA651_ECB451_ECB551_ECAB51_ECB651_ECA751_ECB751_ECB951_ECC051_ECBA51_ECAC51_ECAD51_ECBB51_ECC151_ECA851_ECC251_ECA951_ECAE51_ECBF51_ECB351_ECC351_ECAA51_ECC451_ECBC51_ECBD51_ECAF51_ECBE51_ECB151_ECB251_ECB055_ED5255_ED5355_ED5A55_ED5055_ED5155_ED5655_ED5B55_ED6455_ED6555_ED6655_ED6755_ED6855_ED6955_ED6A55_ED6B55_ED6C55_ED6D55_ED6E55_ED6F55_ED7055_ED7155_ED7255_ED7355_ED8755_ED8555_ED8655_ED8255_ED8355_ED5555_ED5755_ED5E55_ED5455_ED5855_ED5955_ED5D55_ED5C55_ED5F55_ED6055_ED8955_ED6355_ED8855_ED6155_ED6255_ED8455_ED7455_ED7555_ED7655_ED7755_ED8A55_ED7855_ED7955_ED7A55_ED7B55_ED7F55_ED8055_ED7C55_ED8155_ED7D55_ED7E55_ED8B55_ED8C55_ED8D55_ED8E55_ED8F55_ED9055_ED9155_EDC255_EDC355_EDC151_ECC755_ED9255_ED9355_ED9455_ED9555_ED9655_ED9755_ED9855_ED9955_ED9A55_ED9B55_ED9C55_ED9D55_ED9F55_ED9E55_EDA855_EDA455_EDA555_EDAC55_EDAE55_EDAF55_EDB055_EDA655_EDA755_EDAA55_EDA955_EDAD55_EDAB55_EDB355_EDB155_EDB255_EDA055_EDA255_EDA155_EDA355_EDB455_EDB555_EDB655_EDB755_EDB855_EDB955_EDBA55_EDBB55_EDBC55_EDBE55_EDBF55_EDBD55_EDC0
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_E20571_E20671_E20971_E20771_E208
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_8A00
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 ->
91_ECC591_ECC791_ECC891_ECD071_E20571_E20671_E20771_E20871_E20991_ECC991_ECCA91_ECCB91_ECCC91_ECCD91_ECCE91_ECCF91_ECD291_ECD191_ECD3
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 ->
81_F00D81_F00E81_F00F81_F01081_F01181_F01281_F01381_F01481_F01581_F01681_F01781_F01881_F01981_F01A81_F01B81_F01C81_F01D81_F01E81_F01F81_F02081_F02181_F02281_F02381_F02481_F02581_F02681_F02781_F02881_F02981_F02A81_F02B