玉

The Chinese character 玉 (yù) for "jade" is a pictograph that depicts a piece of jade with a hole drilled through it. The earliest known examples of this character date back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC), and it has been used continuously in Chinese writing ever since.The character 玉 is composed of two parts: the radical 王 (wáng), which means "king", and the phonetic component 玉 (yù), which is a simplified form of the character 珏 (jué), which also means "jade". The radical 王 is used to indicate that 玉 is a noun, and the phonetic component 玉 is used to indicate its pronunciation.The character 玉 has a wide range of meanings, including "jade", "precious stone", "beautiful", and "pure". It is often used in Chinese poetry and literature to describe beautiful women or objects. For example, the famous Tang dynasty poet Li Bai wrote a poem about a beautiful woman named "Jade Hairpin" (玉钗记).The character 玉 is also used in Chinese philosophy and religion. In Confucianism, jade is considered to be a symbol of virtue, and it is often used to make ritual objects. In Buddhism, jade is considered to be a symbol of purity and compassion, and it is often used to make statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.The character 玉 is a beautiful and versatile character that has been used in Chinese writing for over 3,000 years. It is a symbol of beauty, purity, and virtue, and it is an important part of Chinese culture.