历史

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 历史 (lìshǐ) for "history" is composed of two characters: **史** (shǐ) and **历** (lì). The character **史** originally meant "to record" or "to write history", and was often used in the sense of "historian" or "chronicler". The character **历** originally meant "to pass through" or "to experience", and was often used in the sense of "calendar" or "chronology". When combined, the two characters **史** and **历** form the word **历史**, which literally means "to record the passing of time" or "to write about the past". This meaning is reflected in the way that the word **历史** is used in Chinese, where it refers to the study of past events and the development of human society over time.