直 zhí — straight, upright · English

直

zhí

straight, upright

At a glance · 直

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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、金文从目上一竖（丨）表示视线端直，会意不曲。隶楷作「直」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「直」本指视线直，引申为正直、直接。

Structure

会意字，从目从丨，视线端直不曲。

At a glance

Pinyinzhí

Radical目

Strokes8

UnicodeU+76F4

Character type会意

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

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

English straight, upright Straight; honest, upright; direct.

Français droit, honnête Droit; honnête, intègre; direct.

Español recto, honesto Recto; honesto, íntegro; directo.

العربية مستقيم، نزيه مستقيم أو نزيه أو مباشر.

Русский прямой, честный Прямой; честный, прямой; непосредственный.

Common words

直接zhí jiēdirect
直zhístraight

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