碼

Originally referred to agate (瑪瑙), a type of stone — but its meaning expanded over time to include units of measurement, numerical symbols, and codes.

In modern Chinese, it is widely used in the context of numbers, identification codes, and digital encoding, making it a highly relevant term in the age of information technology.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

石 (돌 석) — semantic component, meaning “stone” or “rock.”

馬 (말 마) — phonetic component, providing the sound ma and conveying strength, stability, or weight.

The combination originally suggested a hard stone with mottled patterns resembling the hide of a horse, leading to the meaning “agate.”

Later, the sense extended metaphorically to standardized units and fixed markings, eventually yielding meanings such as yard, number, and code.

Traditional / classical:

碼瑙 (마노) — agate (a precious stone)

Modern:

號碼 (번호) — number

密碼 (비밀번호) — password

條碼 (조마) — barcode

二維碼 (이차원마) — QR code

驗證碼 (인증코드) — verification code

編碼 (편마) — encoding

解碼 (해마) — decoding

尺碼 (척마) — clothing size

車牌碼 (차번호마) — vehicle license number

源碼 (원마) — source code

In modern Chinese, 碼 has become a core character in computing and digital contexts, symbolizing coded information and identifiers, much as the English word “code” does.

In ancient China, 碼 originally appeared as a variant of 瑪 (as in 瑪瑙, agate), sharing the same sound and overlapping meaning.

Agate stones, with their colorful bands, symbolized protection, endurance, and clarity — qualities valued in both adornment and ritual.

During later dynasties, 碼 acquired a new meaning as a unit of measure through transliteration of the English yard (via Cantonese ma).

This adaptation shows the character’s remarkable ability to evolve with social and technological changes.

By the 20th century, as modern numeration and digital systems spread, 碼 naturally came to represent “numbers” and “codes”, especially in phrases such as 密碼 (password) and 條碼 (barcode).

碼 symbolizes structure, identity, and encoded order.

From its earliest sense of a patterned stone to its modern role as a digital “code,” it represents the imprint or mark that defines and distinguishes.

The stone radical (石) conveys stability and permanence, while 馬 (horse) evokes movement and communication.

Together, they suggest “messages carved in stone” — symbols that endure yet carry meaning across distance.

「碼者，記號也；所以識物而定其序。」

“碼 means a mark — that by which things are recognized and ordered.”

碼 teaches us that identity is encoded in pattern.

From the natural striations of agate to the binary codes of the digital age, each system of order arises from recognizable marks,

each carrying meaning that connects the physical and the abstract.

「石成瑪瑙，理現如碼；心定於法，序立於道。」

“Stone becomes agate, its pattern like a code; the heart rests in law, and order arises through the Way.”

Thus, 碼 stands as a character of structure, recognition, and communication, bridging the material and the virtual — from stones of the earth to codes of the mind.