形 xíng — form, shape · English

形

xíng

form, shape

At a glance · 形

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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.

形字小篆从彡开声（或幵），为形声字；本义为形体、形状，引申为显露。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

形本义为形体、形状，引申为表现。

Structure

形声字，左部『彡』为意符表纹饰，右部表声。

At a glance

Pinyinxíng

Radical彡

Strokes7

UnicodeU+5F62

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 form, shape Xing is a phonetic-semantic character meaning form and shape.

Français forme, figure Xing est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant forme et figure.

Español forma, figura Xing es un carácter fonosemántico que significa forma y figura.

العربية شكل، صورة شينغ حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الشكل والصورة.

Русский форма, очертание Син — фоносемантический знак, означающий форму и очертание.

Common words

形状xíng zhuàngshape
形式xíng shìform

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