随

The Chinese character 随 (suí) is composed of two parts: the radical 辶 (chuò), which represents movement or walking, and the phonetic component 遂 (suì), which represents following or accompanying. The character 随 originally meant "to follow" or "to accompany", but over time it has come to have a wider range of meanings, including "according to", "as", "along with", and "casual".The character 随 is first attested in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone script, the character is written as a pictograph of a person following another person. The phonetic component 遂 is added later, in the bronze script stage of Chinese writing.The character 随 has a rich history of usage in Chinese literature and culture. It is often used in poetry and prose to describe the beauty of nature or the passage of time. For example, the famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote in his poem "Quiet Night Thoughts":床前明月光，疑是地上霜。举头望明月，低头思故乡。In this poem, the character 随 is used to describe the way that the moonlight follows the poet as he moves his head. The character also conveys a sense of the poet's longing for his home乡.The character 随 is also used in Chinese philosophy and religion. In Confucianism, the character is used to represent the idea of following the道を. In Buddhism, the character is used to represent the idea of following the Buddha's teachings.The character 随 is a versatile and important character in the Chinese language. It has a rich history of usage in Chinese literature and culture, and it continues to be used in a wide variety of contexts today.