Definitions
(verb)
to state; to express; to explain
Etymology
Depicts a lightning bolt. Based on the original meaning "lightning". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
申 began as a pictograph of a lightning bolt, with early forms displaying a zigzag line that cuts through a central element, a vivid image of a flash. It was then borrowed phonetically to name the ninth of the twelve Earthly Branches (地支) used in calendrical and timekeeping systems. As the character became fixed in this role, its original sense "lightning" migrated to the newly coined 电. In parallel, 申 was also loaned for its sound to convey the ideas of extending, stretching, stating, or explaining, which now appear in compounds like 申请 (apply) and 申明 (state). Today's appearance, a vertical stroke piercing a rectangular box, is a highly stylized remnant of that ancient lightning sign.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我申请了这份工作。
我们需要申请一个签证。
他正式申明了自己的立场。
公司决定向上级申诉。
他在法庭上为自己申辩。
请简述你申请的理由。
这份报告是对政策的引申说明。
该理论由基本公理申发而来。
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