膳 shàn — meal; food · English

膳

shàn

meal; food

At a glance · 膳

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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.

小篆从肉，善声，本义为备好的饭食（尤指荤腥）。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为进献的熟食、膳食。

Structure

形声字，从肉（意符，肉食），善（shàn）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinshàn

Radical月

Strokes16

UnicodeU+81B3

Character type形声

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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English meal; food A meal, especially cooked food.

Français repas; nourriture Un repas, surtout cuit.

Español comida; manjar Una comida, especialmente cocida.

العربية وجبة؛ طعام وجبة، خاصة المطبوخة.

Русский еда; трапеза Еда, особенно приготовленная пища.

Common words

膳shànmeal
膳食shàn shídiet

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