典 diǎn — law · English

典

diǎn

law

At a glance · 典

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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 seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

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.

「典」甲骨文从冊在丌上，象双手奉册，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「典」本义为重要文册、典籍，引申典制、典礼、典范。

Structure

从冊、从丌，会意字，象简册置于几，本为典籍、常法。

At a glance

Pinyindiǎn

Radical八

Strokes8

UnicodeU+5178

Character type会意

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English law law, canon; documentation; classic, scripture

Français classique / canon Classique, canon. «既集坟典» : les canons.

Español clásico / canon Clásico, canon. «既集坟典»: los cánones.

العربية كلاسيكي / كانون كلاسيكي، كانون. «既集坟典»: الكنوز.

Русский канон / классика Канон, классика. «既集坟典»: каноны.

Common words

经典jīng diǎnclassic
典礼diǎn lǐceremony

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