Qiu (囚) in oracle bone inscriptions describes a “人” (man) in a frame, which vividly reveals its original meaning of imprisonment or captivity. The word changes little later in its shape. However, it also serves as a noun referring to the... more

: Chong (虫) in oracle bone script is... which resembles a snake with visible head and tail. The original meaning of it is a viper. In small seal script, the character...; more

: “Tu” (“土”) is a pictographic character that is written like this ... in the oracle bone inscriptions, with the upper part in the shape of a soil block and the lower part resembling the ground...; more

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车 (vehicle)

"Che" is a pictographic word. In oracle bone inscriptions, the character looks like a two-wheeled...
牛 (ox)

In the oracle bone inscriptions, the character niu (牛) is like a simple sketch of an ox head,...
矢 (arrow)

Shi (矢) is a pictographic character. In the oracle bone inscriptions, it looks exactly like an...
水 (water)

“Shui” is a pictographic word. In oracle bone inscriptions, it looks like the flowing water;...
田 (farmland)

The form of the character “tian” (田) remains unchanged from the oracle bone inscriptions to...
飞 (fly)

The character “飞”, or “飛” before being simplified, is like a bird’s head on a...