慈 cí — kind · English

慈

cí

kind

At a glance · 慈

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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.

「慈」从心兹声，小篆从心兹声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「慈」本义为仁爱、慈爱，特指父母爱子、慈祥。

Structure

从心、兹(cí)声，形声字，心表义类，兹表音，本为慈爱。

At a glance

Pinyincí

Radical心

Strokes13

UnicodeU+6148

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 kind kind, charitable, benevolent

Français bonté Bonté, tendresse. «仁慈隐恻» : la bienveillance.

Español bondad Bondad, ternura. «仁慈隐恻»: la benevolencia.

العربية لطف لطف، حنان. «仁慈隐恻»: الإحسان.

Русский доброта Доброта, нежность. «仁慈隐恻»: благожелательность.

Common words

慈爱cí àiloving
慈祥cí xiángkind

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