Definitions

tián (noun) field; farm

Etymology

Pictograph of a field.

About

The character "田" originated as a pictographic representation of a divided field, depicting the crisscrossing paths or irrigation channels that separate plots of cultivated land. Its core meaning has consistently been "field" or "farmland", a concept that remains central to its use. Structurally, it is one of the most stable and unchanged characters, maintaining its essential grid-like form throughout history. From this primary agricultural meaning, its application broadened; it came to be used as a common surname, likely for families associated with land or specific localities. Furthermore, it functions as a semantic component in many other characters, often imparting related ideas of cultivation, hunting grounds, or demarcated areas, as seen in characters like "畋" (to hunt) or "畝" (a unit of land area).

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 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 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)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我家的很大。

Wǒ jiā de tián hěn dà.

My family's field is very big.

农民在里工作。

Nóngmín zài tián lǐ gōngzuò.

Farmers work in the field.

野里有很多花。

Tiányě lǐ yǒu hěnduō huā.

There are many flowers in the countryside.

这片地很肥沃。

Zhè piàn tiándì hěn féiwò.

This field is very fertile.

春天,里种满了稻子。

Chūntiān, tián lǐ zhòng mǎnle dàozi.

In spring, the field is planted with rice.

城市规划中保留了农

Chéngshì guīhuà zhōng bǎoliúle nóngtián.

Urban planning has preserved farmland.

间的风景非常美丽。

Tiánjiān de fēngjǐng fēichāng měilì.

The scenery in the fields is very beautiful.

为了保护生态环境,政府限制了农的化学用品使用。

Wèile bǎohù shēngtài huánjìng, zhèngfǔ xiànzhìle nóngtián de huàxué yòngpǐn shǐyòng.

To protect the ecological environment, the government has restricted the use of chemicals on farmland.