宙
time, eternity
At a glance · 宙
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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
宙字小篆从宀由声，为形声字；本义指房屋的栋梁，后引申为往来古今之时间。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Shuowen Jiezi
直又切。舟輿所極覆也。从宀由聲。。— 《说文解字》
Origins & notes
宙本义为屋栋，后专指古往今来的时间。
Structure
形声字，上部『宀』为意符表房屋，下部『由』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinzhòu
Radical宀
Strokes8
UnicodeU+5B99
Character type形声
Theme其他
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
time, eternity
Zhou originally meant the ridge beam of a house and later came to denote time and eternity.
Français
temps, éternité
Zhou signifiait à l'origine la poutre faîtière d'une maison et a fini par désigner le temps et l'éternité.
Español
tiempo, eternidad
Zhou originalmente significaba la viga del techo y luego pasó a denotar el tiempo y la eternidad.
العربية
الزمن، الأبدية
تشو كان في الأصل يعني العارضة العلوية للسقف ثم أصبح يدل على الزمن والخلود.
Русский
время, вечность
Чжоу изначально означал коньковую балку крыши и позже стал обозначать время и вечность.
Common words
- 宇宙yǔ zhòuuniverse