目 mù — eye; item · English

目

mù

eye; item

At a glance · 目

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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.

甲骨文象人眼之形，竖写如目，本义为眼睛。小篆圆转，隶楷作「目」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为眼睛，引申为条目、看。

Structure

象形字，甲骨文象眼睛形状。

At a glance

Pinyinmù

Radical目

Strokes5

UnicodeU+76EE

Character type象形

Theme人体

Six languages, one character

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

English eye; item The eye; also an item or goal.

Français œil; article L’œil ; aussi un article.

Español ojo; artículo El ojo ; también un artículo.

العربية عين؛ بند العين؛ ويُستعار للبند أو الهدف.

Русский глаз; пункт Глаз; также пункт или цель.

Common words

目标mù biāogoal
目的mù dìpurpose

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