传
transmit, biography
At a glance · 传
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.
传字小篆从人專声（繁體傳），为形声字；本义为传递、传授，亦指传记。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
传本义为传递、转达，引申为传授、传记。
Structure
形声字，左部『人』为意符，右部『專』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinchuán
Radical亻
Strokes6
UnicodeU+4F20
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
transmit, biography
Zhuan is a phonetic-semantic character meaning to transmit and, as zhuan, a biography.
Français
transmettre, biographie
Zhuan est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant transmettre et, lu zhuan, biographie.
Español
transmitir, biografía
Zhuan es un carácter fonosemántico que significa transmitir y, en zhuan, biografía.
العربية
ينقل، سيرة
تشوان حرف صوتي دلالي يعني النقل والتعليم، وفي zhuan سيرة.
Русский
передавать, биография
Чжуань — фоносемантический знак, означающий передавать и, в чтении чжуань, биографию.
Common words
- 传播chuán bōspread
- 传统chuán tǒngtradition