市 shì — market; city · English

市

shì

market; city

At a glance · 市

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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.

甲骨文象有物交易之处，金文从冂从止，会集市之意。小篆定型为「市」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为交易之所，即集市。

Structure

会意字，从冂（范围）从止（人至），表人聚交易之地。

At a glance

Pinyinshì

Radical巾

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5E02

Character type会意

Theme建筑

Six languages, one character

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

English market; city A market or trading place; also a city.

Français marché; ville Un marché ; aussi une ville.

Español mercado; ciudad Un mercado ; también una ciudad.

العربية سوق؛ مدينة سوق أو مكان التبادل؛ ويُستعار للمدينة.

Русский рынок; город Рынок или место торговли; также город.

Common words

市场shì chǎngmarket
城市chéng shìcity

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