人 from HSK Level 1 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 人 (rén) for "person" has a rich history and etymology. It is one of the most basic and commonly used characters in the Chinese language, and its evolution can be traced back to ancient times.The earliest known form of the character 人 appears in oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In these inscriptions, the character is depicted as a simple pictograph of a human figure, with a head, torso, and two arms. Over time, the character became more stylized and simplified, eventually taking on its modern form.The character 人 is composed of two parts: the radical 亻(rén), which represents a person, and a phonetic component 二 (èr), which represents the sound. The radical 亻 is also used in other characters related to people, such as 兄弟 (xiōngdì, "brothers"), 姐妹 (jiěmèi, "sisters"), and 父母 (fùmǔ, "parents").The character 人 has a wide range of meanings in Chinese. It can refer to a person in general, or to a specific individual. It can also be used to refer to a group of people, such as a family or a nation. In addition, the character 人 is used in many idioms and proverbs, such as 人定胜天 (rén dìng shèng tiān, "man can conquer nature") and 人无完人 (rén wú wán rén, "no one is perfect").The character 人 is an important part of the Chinese language and culture. It is a versatile character with a rich history and etymology, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts.