觉

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese character 觉 (jué) is composed of two parts: the radical 目 (mù), which means "eye", and the phonetic component 觉 (jué), which is a simplified form of the character 矍 (jué), which means "to be startled". The original meaning of 觉 is "to wake up", which is extended to mean "to become aware of" or "to realize". In modern Chinese, 觉 is often used as a noun to refer to "consciousness" or "awareness".The character 觉 has a long history, dating back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). The earliest known form of the character is found on oracle bones, where it is depicted as a person with their eyes open. This suggests that the original meaning of 觉 was "to open one's eyes", which is consistent with its later meaning of "to wake up".Over time, the character 觉 evolved to take on a more abstract meaning, referring to "consciousness" or "awareness". This is likely due to the fact that the ability to wake up is associated with the ability to think and reason. In modern Chinese, 觉 is often used in philosophical and religious contexts to refer to the state of being aware of one's own existence or the nature of reality.The character 觉 is also used in a number of common Chinese idioms and phrases. For example, the idiom 一觉千金 (yī jué qiān jīn) means "to sleep for a thousand pieces of gold", and the phrase 醍醐灌顶 (tí hú guàn dǐng) means "to have a sudden realization". These idioms and phrases demonstrate the rich cultural and historical significance of the character 觉.