知
- to know, to inform;
Etymology
In oracle bone script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén), it was composed of:
干 (방패 간, “shield,” a symbol for a hunting weapon);
矢 (화살 시, “arrow”);
口 (입 구, “mouth,” indicating oral transmission).
Together these conveyed the idea of passing on hunting and battle experience orally.
By the time of the bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen), 干 was dropped and 曰 (가로 왈, “to speak”) was added, forming 智. Later, the character split into 知 and 智.
The relationship between 知 and 智 is notable:
In terms of character form, 智 appears earlier than 知 in bronze inscriptions. In terms of meaning, however, scholars believe the verb “to know” (知) gave rise to the nouns “knowledge” and “wisdom” (智).
Alternative forms
智 (non- daiyōji)
radicalno: 111
addcomponents: 矢 +3
strokes: 8
cangjieinput1: 人大口 (OKR)
composition1: ⿰ 矢 口
