字 from HSK Level 1 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 字 (zì) is composed of two parts: the radical 言 (yán), which means "speech" or "language," and the phonetic component 子 (zǐ), which is pronounced similarly to 字. The radical 言 indicates that 字 is related to language or writing, while the phonetic component 子 provides a clue to its pronunciation.The original meaning of 字 was "a single written character." In ancient China, characters were often used as symbols or tokens, and 字 was used to refer to these individual characters. Over time, the meaning of 字 expanded to include the idea of "word" or "term," as well as the concept of "writing" or "text."In modern Chinese, 字 is used in a variety of contexts. It can refer to a single written character, a word, a term, or a piece of writing. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to write" or "to compose."The character 字 is an important part of the Chinese language and culture. It is one of the most basic building blocks of written Chinese, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. Understanding the etymology of 字 can help learners of Chinese to better understand the character and its usage.