男

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 男 (nán) for "male" is composed of two parts: 田 (tián) and 力 (lì). 田 originally meant "field" or "cultivated land", and 力 means "strength" or "power". Together, they form the character 男, which originally meant "a man who works in the fields" or "a farmer". Over time, the meaning of 男 expanded to include all males, regardless of their occupation.The character 男 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, 男 is written as a pictograph of a man holding a plow. This pictograph clearly shows the connection between 男 and agriculture.The character 男 has also been used in other East Asian languages, including Japanese and Korean. In Japanese, 男 is pronounced otoko and means "man" or "male". In Korean, 男 is pronounced namja and also means "man" or "male".The character 男 is a common character in Chinese and is used in a variety of words and phrases. Some examples include:* 男人 (nánrén) - man* 男孩 (nánhái) - boy* 男性 (nánxìng) - male* 男子汉 (nánzǐhàn) - man (in the sense of a strong, manly man)* 男朋友 (nánpéngyou) - boyfriend* 丈夫 (zhàngfu) - husband