秩

zhì

失 + 禾

Definitions

zhì (noun) order; sequence

zhì (noun,classifier) interval of ten years

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 失 represents the sound.

Semantic: 禾 Phonetic: 失

About

秩 is a phono-semantic compound: 禾 (grain) gives the meaning, and 失 the sound. It originally referred to a set amount of grain given as a salary or compensation to officials and workers. Because distributing these grain salaries demanded strict bureaucratic ranks and schedules, the character's meaning gradually shifted to denote systematic order, regular sequence, and proper arrangement. Today it describes societal and institutional order almost exclusively, entirely detached from its agricultural beginnings, while the 禾 radical remains as a structural reminder of the ancient grain-based salary system.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

秩序非常重要。

Zhìxù fēicháng zhòngyào.

Order is very important.

请遵守公共秩序。

Qǐng zūnshǒu gōnggòng zhìxù.

Please obey public order.

良好的秩序让生活更美好。

Liánghǎo de zhìxù ràng shēnghuó gèng měihǎo.

Good order makes life better.

交通秩序需要大家共同维护。

Jiāotōng zhìxù xūyào dàjiā gòngtóng wéihù.

Traffic order requires everyone to maintain together.

社会秩序的稳定有助于经济发展。

Shèhuì zhìxù de wěndìng yǒu zhù yú jīngjì fāzhǎn.

The stability of social order contributes to economic development.

在数学中，矩阵的秩是一个基本概念。

Zài shùxué zhōng, jǔzhèn de zhì shì yī gè jīběn gàiniàn.

In mathematics, the rank of a matrix is a basic concept.

通过分析数据的秩，我们可以了解其结构。

Tōngguò fēnxī shùjù de zhì, wǒmen kěyǐ liǎojiě qí jiégòu.

By analyzing the rank of the data, we can understand its structure.

线性空间的维数与其上线性变换的秩有密切关系。

Xiànxìng kōngjiān de wéishù yǔ qí shàng xiànxìng biànhuàn de zhì yǒu mìqiè guānxì.

The dimension of a linear space is closely related to the rank of linear transformations on it.

Related Characters

Component: 失

Component: 禾

秩