塞 sāi — block, frontier · English

塞

sāi

block, frontier

At a glance · 塞

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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.

小篆从宀从䆿（或从土从寒省），会意以土窒塞空隙。本指阻隔、边塞。隶楷作「塞」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「塞」本指填塞、阻隔，引申为边塞、险要。

Structure

会意字，从宀从土，象填塞空隙之形。

At a glance

Pinyinsāi

Radical土

Strokes13

UnicodeU+585E

Character type会意

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

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English block, frontier To block, fill; a frontier pass.

Français boucher, frontière Boucher, remplir; un passage frontalier.

Español tapar, frontera Tapar, llenar; un paso fronterizo.

العربية يسد، ثغر يسد أو معبر حدودي.

Русский заграждать, застава Закрывать, затыкать; пограничный проход.

Common words

边塞biān sàifrontier
堵塞dǔ sèblock

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