Definitions

(noun) side; lateral
(verb) to lean; to incline towards
zhāi (verb) to lean to one side

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character '侧', denoting 'side' or 'to incline', derives from the traditional form '側', structured with the human radical '人' on the left and the phonetic component '則' on the right, indicating its early association with the human form or posture and originally referring to the physical flank or lateral aspect of a person or object. Over time, its semantic range broadened from this concrete spatial reference to encompass more abstract notions, such as a particular perspective or facet, while also retaining the verbal sense of leaning or tilting. The phonetic element '則' historically provided a clue to pronunciation, and the persistent presence of the human radical underscores the character's conceptual link to anthropocentric orientation, even as its applications diversified across literary and colloquial contexts without fundamental alteration to its core idea of laterality or inclination.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我坐在他的右

Wǒ zuò zài tā de yòu cè.

I sit on his right side.

请从门出去。

Qǐng cóng cè mén chū qù.

Please go out from the side door.

房子的面有窗户。

Fángzi de cèmiàn yǒu chuānghu.

The side of the house has windows.

身让我过去。

Tā cè shēn ràng wǒ guò qù.

She turned sideways to let me pass.

我们需要考虑问题的面。

Wǒmen xūyào kǎolǜ wèntí de cèmiàn.

We need to consider the aspects of the problem.

在道路的右,有一家商店。

Zài dàolù de yòu cè, yǒu yī jiā shāngdiàn.

On the right side of the road, there is a shop.

他从面了解了事情的真相。

Tā cóng cèmiàn liǎojiě le shìqíng de zhēnxiàng.

He understood the truth of the matter from a side perspective.

工程师正在检查机器的面结构。

Gōngchéngshī zhèngzài jiǎnchá jīqì de cèmiàn jiégòu.

The engineer is inspecting the side structure of the machine.