块 from HSK Level 1 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 块 (kuài) is composed of two parts: the radical 土 (tǔ), which means "earth" or "soil", and the phonetic component 圭 (guī), which is a pictograph of a jade tablet. The original meaning of 块 was "a piece of jade", but over time it has come to be used more generally to refer to any kind of solid object.The character 块 is first attested in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In oracle bone script, 块 is written as a simple combination of the radical 土 and the phonetic component 圭. The phonetic component 圭 is used to indicate the pronunciation of the character, while the radical 土 indicates its meaning.In modern Chinese, 块 is used in a variety of contexts to refer to solid objects. For example, it can be used to refer to a piece of land, a piece of food, or a piece of furniture. It can also be used to refer to a unit of measurement, such as a block of wood or a block of ice.The character 块 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of contexts. Its etymology reflects its original meaning as a piece of jade, but it has come to be used more generally to refer to any kind of solid object.