文 wén — writing, culture · English

文

wén

writing, culture

At a glance · 文

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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

文字甲骨文象人胸前有纹饰之形，本义为花纹、文采；后引申为文字、文化。金文、小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

文本义为纹饰、文采，后指文字、文化。

Structure

文为象形字，描摹身上交错的花纹，后引申为文字。

At a glance

Pinyinwén

Radical文

Strokes4

UnicodeU+6587

Character type象形

Theme其他

Six languages, one character

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

English writing, culture Wen was originally a pictograph of body markings, meaning pattern and later writing and culture.

Français écriture, culture Wen était à l'origine un pictogramme de marques corporelles, signifiant motif puis écriture et culture.

Español escritura, cultura Wen era originalmente un pictograma de marcas corporales, significa motivo luego escritura y cultura.

العربية كتابة، ثقافة ون كان في الأصل رسماً لوشوم على الجسد، يعني الزخرفة ثم الكتابة والثقافة.

Русский письменность, культура Вэнь изначально было пиктограммой телесных узоров — узор, позже письменность и культура.

Common words

文字wén zìwriting
文化wén huàculture

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