致

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

至 (이를 지) — semantic component, meaning “to arrive” or “to reach.”

攵 (칠 복 / 攴) — semantic or phonetic component, signifying action or effort.

Originally, the character represented “to cause to reach” or “to bring something to its destination.”

The sense of to deliver or devote arose from this core idea.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「致，送詣也。从至，攵聲。」

“致 means to send or to cause something to arrive; composed of 至 (‘to reach’) and 攵 (indicating action).”

Hence, 致 is essentially the causative form of 至 — “to make reach” or “to bring about.”

致力 (치력) — to devote effort, to work diligently

致意 (치의) — to send greetings or respect

致知 (치지) — to extend one’s knowledge (Great Learning, 《大學》)

致命 (치명) — to devote one’s life; fatal (when passive)

致使 (치사) — to cause, to bring about

致謝 (치사) — to express thanks

精致 (정치) — refined, exquisite (lit. “finely brought to completion”)

一致 (일치) — to coincide, to be in agreement

導致 (도치) — to lead to, to result in

誘致 (유치) — to attract, to entice

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) records:

「致，極也、至也。」

“致 means ‘to reach the utmost’ or ‘to arrive at.’”

It also distinguishes between physical arrival (至) and intentional arrival (致):

至 — to reach naturally.

致 — to make reach, to bring about through will or action.

In later Chinese and Japanese, 致 also came to mean to express or convey formally, especially in polite correspondence (敬致, 謹致).

In classical and literary Chinese, 致 carries the sense of bringing something to completion or realization — whether an act, an intention, or a state.

It is often used in expressions such as:

致意 (치의) — to convey regards or greeting

致力 (치력) — to devote effort

致知 (치지) — to extend knowledge

致命 (치명) — to cause death; or to give one’s life for duty

專致 (전치) — single-minded devotion

Thus, 致 expresses directed action or intention — the act of “making something reach its end.”

In The Great Learning (大學), 致知 (치지) — “to extend knowledge” — forms one of the key steps in the Confucian cultivation of virtue:

「致知在格物。」

“To extend one’s knowledge lies in investigating things.”

Here, 致 signifies directing the mind toward full understanding, emphasizing conscious effort and realization.

In other philosophical works, such as Mencius (孟子·盡心), it appears with the meaning of dedication of will:

「盡心則知性，知性則知天。存心養性，所以事天也。」

“When one fully applies one’s heart, one comes to know one’s nature; when one knows one’s nature, one thereby knows Heaven. To preserve the mind and to nurture the nature — this is the way to serve Heaven.”

(Contextual gloss:) The sage “致力於心” — “devotes effort to the heart.”

In Confucian philosophy, 致 represents the culmination of human intentionality — the act of realizing principle (理) through directed will and understanding (致知).

In Daoist writings, by contrast, excessive 致 — deliberate striving — may conflict with 無為 (non-action); hence 致 can also symbolize the limit of human effort before one must return to natural flow.

In literary aesthetics, 精致 (“exquisitely refined”) preserves this metaphysical nuance — beauty fully brought to its perfection, nothing further to add.

致 is a phono-semantic compound (至 + 攵) meaning “to reach, bring about, or devote.”

Originally “to cause something to arrive,” it evolved to signify directed intention, completion, and expression — whether in knowledge (致知), action (致力), or feeling (致意).

In philosophy and literature, it embodies the ideal of effort leading to fulfillment — the moment when purpose and realization meet.