贞
chaste, loyal, divine
At a glance · 贞
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.
贞字小篆从卜从贝，会意为占卜问事，本义为占卜、正；后指坚贞。甲骨文象鼎卜之形（鼎为贞）。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
贞本义为占卜，引申为坚贞、正。
Structure
会意字，从卜（占）从贝（宝），表示以卜问吉凶。
At a glance
Pinyinzhēn
Radical贝
Strokes6
UnicodeU+8D1E
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
chaste, loyal, divine
Zhen is an associative character of divination and treasure, meaning to divine and, later, chaste and loyal.
Français
chaste, loyal, deviner
Zhen est un caractère associatif de divination et trésor, signifiant deviner puis chaste et loyal.
Español
casto, leal, adivinar
Zhen es un carácter asociativo de adivinación y tesoro, significa adivinar y luego casto y leal.
العربية
عفيف، وفِي، يكهن
تشن حرف تركيبي للكهانة والكنز، يعني الكهانة ثم العفاف والوفاء.
Русский
верный, целомудренный
Чжэнь — ассоциативный знак гадания и сокровища, означает гадать и, позже, верный и целомудренный.
Common words
- 贞节zhēn jiéchastity
- 忠贞zhōng zhēnloyal