薪
fuel; firewood; salary
At a glance · 薪
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 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.
小篆从艸（艹），新声，本义为柴草。隶楷从艹从新，形声稳定。甲骨金文未见明确独立字形。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
本义为可作燃料的柴木，引申为俸禄（薪水）。
Structure
形声字，从艸（意符，草木），新（xīn）为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinxīn
Radical艹
Strokes16
UnicodeU+85AA
Character type形声
Theme植物
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
fuel; firewood; salary
Firewood or fuel; also salary (the old stipend in firewood).
Français
bois; combustible; salaire
Bois de chauffage ; aussi salaire (la subsistance en bois).
Español
leña; combustible; salario
Leña o combustible; también salario (en leña).
العربية
حطب؛ وقود؛ راتب
حطب أو وقود؛ ويُستخدم أيضاً بمعنى الراتب.
Русский
дрова; топливо; жалованье
Дрова или топливо; также жалованье.
Common words
- 薪xīnfirewood
- 薪水xīn shuǐsalary