食
shí
eat, food
At a glance · 食

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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.

食 Evolution of the glyph
  1. 食 Object sketch
    Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
  2. 食 Oracle bone
    Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
  3. 食 Seal script
    Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
  4. 食 Clerical script
    Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
  5. 食 Regular script
    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

食字甲骨文从亼从皀,会意为集谷而食;本义为吃、食物。金文、小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

食 Object sketch

Origins & notes

食本义为吃、食物、饭食。

Structure

会意字,从亼(集)从皀(谷香),表示进食。

At a glance

Pinyinshí
Radical飠
Strokes9
UnicodeU+98DF
Character type会意
Theme器物

Six languages, one character

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

English eat, food Shi is an associative character meaning to eat and food.
Français manger, nourriture Shi est un caractère associatif signifiant manger et nourriture.
Español comer, comida Shi es un carácter asociativo que significa comer y comida.
العربية يأكل، طعام شي حرف تركيبي يعني الأكل والطعام.
Русский есть, еда Ши — ассоциативный знак, означающий есть и пищу.

Common words

  • 食物shí wùfood
  • 饮食yǐn shídiet