製

製 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of:

衣 (옷 의) — semantic element meaning clothing or garment, indicating the original sense of tailoring.

制 (절제할 제) — phonetic element giving the pronunciation zhì / je and contributing the idea of regulation or order.

Originally, the character meant “to cut and sew garments according to rules or measure.”

From this precise and regulated act of making clothes, it came to mean “to produce” or “to construct systematically.”

製造 (제조) — to manufacture, to produce

製作 (제작) — to craft, to make (esp. creative works)

製品 (제품) — manufactured product

製藥 (제약) — to make medicine

自製 (자제) — self-made, homemade

The earliest sense of 製 was to tailor or cut cloth, an act requiring precision and conformity to form — symbolizing ordered creation.

Because making garments demanded both measure (制) and material (衣), it became a metaphor for careful, rule-based production.

「制衣曰製。」

“To tailor garments was called 製.”

From this, the meaning widened to all forms of manufacture and creation, including writing, law, and ritual:

制度 (제도) — institutions and systems, literally “made rules.”

In modern usage, 製 applies broadly to both material and immaterial creation — from crafting tools to producing art, medicine, or even policies.

Its conceptual shift mirrors China’s transition from artisanal production to industrial manufacturing.

Examples:

製造業 — manufacturing industry.

製作公司 — production company (for films or music).

In East Asian languages:

Korean (제) — commonly appears in words for production or creation, e.g., 제조, 제작.

Japanese (せい / sei) — used as a suffix indicating origin or manufacture, e.g., 日本製 “Made in Japan.”

Chinese (zhì) — retains both literal “make” and figurative “formulate” senses.

Comparison:

製 — to make, to produce; (emphasizes crafting or regulated creation).

作 — to do, to make; (general “to act” or “to create”).

造 — to build, to construct; (stresses formation or large-scale production).

制 — to control, to regulate; (focuses on rules or restriction rather than production).