世
generation, world
At a glance · 世
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
金文象叶（枼）形，本指草木之叶舒展，后借表世代。小篆讹变为「世」，古以三十年为一世。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
「世」本指父子相继之代，引申为时代、世间。
Structure
指事（或会意），由叶形演变，以三十年为一世表示世代。
At a glance
Pinyinshì
Radical一
Strokes5
UnicodeU+4E16
Character type指事
Theme其他
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
generation, world
A generation, age, or the world; anciently 30 years.
Français
génération, monde
Une génération, un âge ou le monde; autrefois 30 ans.
Español
generación, mundo
Una generación, una época o el mundo; antes 30 años.
العربية
جيل، العالم
جيل أو عالم؛ كان يُقدَّر بثلاثين عامًا.
Русский
поколение, мир
Поколение, эпоха или мир; в древности — 30 лет.
Common words
- 世界shì jièworld
- 世纪shì jìcentury