自

The Chinese character 自 (zì) is composed of two parts: the radical 丶 (zhǔ) and the phonetic component 巳 (sì). The radical 丶 represents a nose, and the phonetic component 巳 represents a snake. The original meaning of 自 is "to follow one's nose", which is extended to mean "self" or "oneself".The character 自 has been used in Chinese for over 3,000 years. It is one of the most common characters in the Chinese language, and it is used in a wide variety of words and phrases. For example, 自我 (zìwǒ) means "self", 自信 (zìxìn) means "self-confidence", and 自立 (zìlì) means "independence".The character 自 is also used in many Chinese idioms. For example, the idiom 自力更生 (zìlì gèngshēng) means "to be self-reliant", and the idiom 自知之明 (zìzhī zhī míng) means "to know oneself".The character 自 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of ways. It is an important character for HSK learners to master, as it is used in many common words and phrases.