About
The character "刻" structurally integrates the phonetic element "亥" with the knife radical "刂", which semantically anchors its earliest meaning related to cutting or engraving substances. This foundational concept of incising material later extended to the measurement of time, as ancient instruments for tracking hours depended on meticulously carved gradations, thus leading to its adoption as a term for a specific time unit, equivalent to one-fifteenth of an hour. Subsequent semantic shifts saw the notion of precision from carving applied metaphorically to human characteristics, giving rise to uses that convey strictness, exactitude, or severity, thereby illustrating how its meanings evolved from tangible actions to encompass both temporal and behavioral abstractions.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
请立刻告诉我。
这个时刻很重要。
他学习很刻苦。
她在木头上刻字。
此刻，我们正在开会。
雕刻家正在雕刻一座雕像。
他对时间的要求很刻板。
深刻的理解需要时间。