初

chū

刀 + 衤

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

chū (adjective) beginning; initial; first

chū (adjective) basic; elementary

Etymology

Depicts cutting out fabric (衤) with a knife (刀), the first step in making clothes.

About

初 is an ideogram combining the clothing radical 衤 on the left with the knife radical 刀 on the right, depicting the action of a tailor making the first cut into cloth with scissors. This literal incision when beginning a garment established the character's meaning, which evolved to represent the start or initial stage of any event or period. The structure captures the moment a process commences, making it the standard character for expressing chronological beginnings.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

初次见面请多关照。

Chū cì jiànmiàn qǐng duō guānzhào.

Nice to meet you for the first time; please be kind to me.

我弟弟今年上初中。

Wǒ dìdi jīnnián shàng chūzhōng.

My younger brother is starting junior high school this year.

月初他的工作很忙。

Yuèchū tā de gōngzuò hěn máng.

He is very busy with work at the beginning of the month.

这是我初步的想法。

Zhè shì wǒ chūbù de xiǎngfǎ.

This is my preliminary idea.

我们对结果初步满意。

Wǒmen duì jiéguǒ chūbù mǎnyì.

We are initially satisfied with the result.

初春的早晨有点冷。

Chūchūn de zǎochén yǒudiǎn lěng.

Early spring mornings are a bit cold.

这个项目初具规模。

Zhège xiàngmù chū jù guīmó.

This project is beginning to take shape.

她初入职场缺乏经验。

Tā chū rù zhíchǎng quēfá jīngyàn.

She lacks experience as she is new to the workplace.

Related Characters

Component: 刀

Component: 衤

初