都 from HSK Level 1 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 都 (dū) has a rich history and etymology. It is composed of two parts: the radical 邑 (yì), which represents a city or town, and the phonetic component 豆 (dòu), which represents a bean. The original meaning of 都 was "capital city" or "metropolis." Over time, it acquired additional meanings, including "all," "together," and "even."The earliest known usage of 都 dates back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE). It was used in oracle bone inscriptions to refer to the capital city of the Shang kings. In the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-256 BCE), 都 continued to be used in this sense, but it also began to be used more broadly to refer to any large city or town.By the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), 都 had acquired its modern meaning of "all" or "together." This meaning is thought to have developed from the idea of a capital city as a place where all the people of a country come together.The character 都 is also used in a number of compound words and phrases. For example, the word 都城 (dūchéng) means "capital city," while the phrase 都會 (dūhuì) means "metropolitan area."In conclusion, the Chinese character 都 has a long and complex history. It has evolved from its original meaning of "capital city" to its modern meanings of "all," "together," and "even." It is a versatile character that is used in a wide variety of contexts.