忠 zhōng — loyalty · English

忠

zhōng

loyalty

At a glance · 忠

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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.

「忠」从心中声，小篆从心𡈽声，形声结构清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「忠」本义为尽心竭力、尽心于人，儒家以为德。

Structure

从心、中声，形声字，心表义类，中表示忠诚不偏。

At a glance

Pinyinzhōng

Radical心

Strokes8

UnicodeU+5FE0

Character type形声

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

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

English loyalty loyalty, devotion, fidelity

Français loyauté Loyauté, dévouement. «忠则尽命» : être loyal jusqu'à donner sa vie.

Español lealtad Lealtad, devoción. «忠则尽命»: ser leal hasta dar la vida.

العربية ولاء ولاء، إخلاص. «忠则尽命»: الإخلاص حتى بذل النفس.

Русский верность Верность, преданность. «忠则尽命»: быть преданным до конца жизни.

Common words

忠诚zhōng chéngloyal
忠心zhōng xīndevotion

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