金

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese character 金 (jīn) for "gold" has a rich history and etymology. It is composed of two parts: the radical 钅 (jīn), which represents metal, and the phonetic component 斤 (jīn). The radical 钅 is a pictograph of a piece of metal, while the phonetic component 斤 is a character that represents the sound "jīn".The character 金 first appeared 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, the character 金 was written as a simple pictograph of a piece of metal. Over time, the character evolved and became more stylized, eventually taking on its current form.The character 金 has a variety of meanings in Chinese. It can refer to the element gold, as well as to money, wealth, and value. It is also used in a number of idioms and proverbs, such as "金玉其外，败絮其中" (jīn yù qí wài, bài xù qí zhōng), which means "golden and beautiful on the outside, but rotten and worthless on the inside".The character 金 is also used in the names of many places in China, such as the city of Jinan (济南) in Shandong province and the Jinsha River (金沙江) in Sichuan province. It is also used in the names of many Chinese companies and organizations, such as the Bank of China (中国银行) and the China Gold Corporation (中国黄金集团公司).In conclusion, the Chinese character 金 has a long and rich history, and it is used in a variety of ways in Chinese language and culture.