纸

The Chinese character 纸 (zhǐ) for "paper" is composed of two parts: the radical 竹 (zhú) for "bamboo" and the phonetic component 糸 (mì) for "silk". This suggests that paper was originally made from bamboo fibers, which is indeed the case. The earliest known paper was made in China during the 2nd century BC from hemp fibers, but by the 6th century AD, paper made from bamboo pulp had become more common. The character 纸 itself first appeared in the 3rd century AD.The radical 竹 (zhú) is also used in other characters related to bamboo, such as 笋 (sǔn) for "bamboo shoot" and 笠 (lì) for "bamboo hat". The phonetic component 糸 (mì) is also used in other characters related to silk, such as 丝 (sī) for "silk thread" and 绸 (chóu) for "silk fabric".The character 纸 (zhǐ) is a good example of how Chinese characters are often composed of two or more components, each of which has its own meaning and pronunciation. This can make learning Chinese characters challenging, but it also makes them very expressive and versatile.