纸

帋/紙

zhǐ

氏 + 纟

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

zhǐ (noun) paper

Etymology

Simplified form of 紙. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 氏 represents the sound.

Semantic: 纟 Phonetic: 氏

About

纸, the simplified form of 紙, is a phonosemantic compound: the component 纟 (the silk radical) on the left conveys the meaning, while 氏 on the right provides the sound. The choice of the silk radical reflects paper's early history, long before plant fibers came into use, the Chinese wrote on thin sheets formed from waste silk, the leftover fibers after boiling and sorting cocoons. When true paper made from plant cellulose eventually replaced silk-based sheets, the character stubbornly kept the silk radical, preserving a clue to its origins.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一张白纸。

Zhè shì yī zhāng bái zhǐ.

This is a piece of white paper.

我用纸折飞机。

Wǒ yòng zhǐ zhé fēijī.

I use paper to fold a paper airplane.

报纸上有新闻。

Bàozhǐ shàng yǒu xīnwén.

There is news on the newspaper.

请把纸放进垃圾桶。

Qǐng bǎ zhǐ fàng jìn lèsè tǒng.

Please put the paper into the trash bin.

这张纸的颜色很漂亮。

Zhè zhāng zhǐ de yánsè hěn piàoliang.

The color of this paper is very beautiful.

我们需要节约用纸保护环境。

Wǒmen xūyào jiéyuē yòng zhǐ bǎohù huánjìng.

We need to save paper to protect the environment.

在古代，纸是一项重要的发明。

Zài gǔdài, zhǐ shì yī xiàng zhòngyào de fāmíng.

In ancient times, paper was an important invention.

这种特殊纸张可以防水。

Zhè zhǒng tèshū zhǐzhāng kěyǐ fángshuǐ.

This special kind of paper is waterproof.

Related Characters

Component: 氏

Component: 纟

纸