圣 shèng — sage, holy · English

圣

shèng

sage, holy

At a glance · 圣

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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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

圣字小篆从耳从口（繁體聖），会意为耳聪口敏、通达事理，本义为圣人。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

圣本义为圣明、圣人（通达之人）。

Structure

会意字，从耳从口，表示善于听闻言辞而通达。

At a glance

Pinyinshèng

Radical土

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5723

Character type会意

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

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

English sage, holy Sheng is an associative character of ear and mouth, meaning a sage and holy.

Français sage, saint Sheng est un caractère associatif d'oreille et bouche, signifiant sage et saint.

Español sabio, santo Sheng es un carácter asociativo de oído y boca, significa sabio y santo.

العربية حكيم، مقدس شينغ حرف تركيبي لأذن وفم، يعني الحكيم والمقدس.

Русский мудрец, святой Шэн — ассоциативный знак уха и рта, означает мудреца и святой.

Common words

圣人shèng rénsage
神圣shén shèngsacred

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