烛 zhú — candle; illuminate · English

烛

zhú

candle; illuminate

At a glance · 烛

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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.

繁体「燭」从火，蜀声，本义为火炬、蜡烛。简体「烛」同。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为火炬，后指蜡烛。

Structure

形声字，从火（意符），蜀（shǔ）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinzhú

Radical火

Strokes10

UnicodeU+70DB

Character type形声

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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

English candle; illuminate A candle; also to illuminate.

Français bougie; éclairer Une bougie ; aussi éclairer.

Español vela; alumbrar Una vela ; también alumbrar.

العربية شمعة؛ يضيء شمعة؛ ويُستعار للإضاءة.

Русский свеча; освещать Свеча; также освещать.

Common words

烛zhúcandle
蜡烛là zhúcandle

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