宁 níng — peaceful, rather · English

宁

níng

peaceful, rather

At a glance · 宁

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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.

金文、小篆从宀从心从皿（或丂），会意屋下有食心安为宁（寧）。简化作「宁」（本另为「貯」简化，后通用）。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「宁」本指安宁、归息，引申为宁愿。

Structure

会意字，从宀从心从皿，屋下心安、有食为宁。

At a glance

Pinyinníng

Radical宀

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5B81

Character type会意

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English peaceful, rather Peaceful, tranquil; rather (prefer).

Français paisible, plutôt Paisible, tranquille; plutôt (préférer).

Español pacífico, preferir Pacífico, tranquilo; preferir.

العربية هادئ، بالأحرى هادئ أو يفضّل.

Русский спокойный, скорее Спокойный, умиротворённый; скорее (предпочесть).

Common words

安宁ān níngpeaceful
宁níngpeaceful

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