慎 shèn — act with care · English

慎

shèn

act with care

At a glance · 慎

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

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.

「慎」从心真声，小篆从心眞声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「慎」本义为谨慎、小心，引申慎重。

Structure

从心、真声，形声字，心表义类，真表音，指小心谨慎。

At a glance

Pinyinshèn

Radical忄

Strokes13

UnicodeU+614E

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 act with care act with care, be cautious

Français prudence Prudent, circonspect. «慎终宜令» : prudence jusqu'à la fin.

Español prudencia Prudente, cauto. «慎终宜令»: prudencia hasta el final.

العربية حذر حذر، متحرٍّ. «慎终宜令»: الحذر حتى النهاية.

Русский осторожный Осторожный, осмотрительный. «慎终宜令»: осторожность до конца.

Common words

谨慎jǐn shèncautious
慎重shèn zhòngcareful

◉ Listen