男

Ideogrammic compound:

田 (field) – indicates a field for farming;

力 (strength, power) – represents physical strength or labor.

Together, they depict a man working in the fields, reflecting the traditional agrarian society where men were responsible for heavy field labor.

侽 was the original form of 男 but fell out of use; 男 became the standard.

Symbolizes the cultural association of masculinity with strength and agriculture in ancient China.

Often used in compounds such as 男子 (man), 男人 (adult man), 男女 (men and women).