之

zhī

② + 丶

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

zhī (particle) possessive particle (literary equivalent of 的)

zhī (pronoun) him; her; it

Etymology

Pictograph of a foot (止) going out of an area. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

Originally a pictograph of a foot (止) leaving an area, 之 (zhī) first meant "to go" or "to leave". Its current grammatical roles are a phonetic loan: it serves as a possessive or modifying particle akin to "of", and as a third-person object pronoun.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们之间有很多共同点。

Wǒmen zhī jiān yǒu hěn duō gòngtóng diǎn.

There are many common points between us.

他在公司之中很有名。

Tā zài gōngsī zhī zhōng hěn yǒumíng.

He is very famous within the company.

放学之后，我们去打球。

Fàngxué zhī hòu, wǒmen qù dǎqiú.

After school, we go to play ball.

吃饭之前要洗手。

Chīfàn zhī qián yào xǐshǒu.

Wash hands before eating.

北京是中国的大城市之一。

Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de dà chéngshì zhī yī.

Beijing is one of China's big cities.

两国之间的合作非常重要。

Liǎng guó zhī jiān de hézuò fēicháng zhòngyào.

The cooperation between the two countries is very important.

此项决定之影响深远。

Cǐ xiàng juédìng zhī yǐngxiǎng shēnyuǎn.

The impact of this decision is far-reaching.

他对这个问题的理解之深刻令人惊讶。

Tā duì zhège wèntí de lǐjiě zhī shēnkè lìng rén jīngyà.

The depth of his understanding of this issue is surprising.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: ②

Component: 丶

Example Words