填

tián

土 + 真

HSK 3.0Level 5

Frequency#1970

Definitions

tián (verb) to fill in; to stuff

tián (verb) to fill out (a form)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 真 represents the sound.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 真

About

The character "填" is a phono-semantic compound formed by the semantic component "土", meaning earth, and the phonetic component "真". Its etymology relates to the act of filling or stuffing with soil, as seen in early texts where it described tamping earth or blocking cavities. Over time, the meaning of "填" expanded from physical filling to abstract applications, such as completing written forms or satisfying conditions, while its structural composition remained unchanged.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

请填写这个表格。

Qǐng tiánxiě zhège biǎogé.

Please fill out this form.

我需要填一张申请表。

Wǒ xūyào tián yī zhāng shēnqǐng biǎo.

I need to fill out an application form.

他把坑填满了土。

Tā bǎ kēng tiánmǎn le tǔ.

He filled the pit with soil.

填好这份问卷后，请交给我。

Tián hǎo zhè fèn wènjuàn hòu, qǐng jiāo gěi wǒ.

After filling out this questionnaire, please hand it to me.

我们在填海造地方面取得了进展。

Wǒmen zài tiánhǎi zàodì fāngmiàn qǔdé le jìnzhǎn.

We have made progress in land reclamation from the sea.

如果你不填真实信息，可能会遇到麻烦。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù tián zhēnshí xìnxī, kěnéng huì yùdào máfan.

If you don't fill in real information, you might encounter trouble.

工程师们正在用碎石填平那条旧河道。

Gōngchéngshīmen zhèngzài yòng suìshí tiánpíng nà tiáo jiù hédào.

The engineers are using crushed stones to fill in that old river channel.

在数据挖掘中，填充缺失值是常见的数据预处理步骤。

Zài shùjù wājué zhōng, tiánchōng quēshī zhí shì chángjiàn de shùjù yùchǔlǐ bùzhòu.

In data mining, filling in missing values is a common data preprocessing step.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 真

填