杳 yǎo — distant, dim · English

杳

yǎo

distant, dim

At a glance · 杳

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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.

甲骨文、金文从日从木，会意日在木下，本指昏暗深远。隶楷作「杳」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「杳」本指日落后幽暗深远，引申为不见踪影。

Structure

会意字，从日从木，日在木下表示幽暗。

At a glance

Pinyinyǎo

Radical木

Strokes8

UnicodeU+6773

Character type会意

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English distant, dim Distant, dim; no trace (yǎo).

Français lointain, sombre Lointain, sombre; sans trace (yǎo).

Español lejano, oscuro Lejano, oscuro; sin rastro (yǎo).

العربية بعيد، مظلم بعيد أو مظلم أو بلا أثر.

Русский далёкий, тёмный Далёкий, тёмный; без вести (яо).

Common words

杳yǎodistant
杳无音信yǎo wú yīn xìnno news

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