童

tóng

立 + 里

Definitions

tóng (noun) child; juvenile

Etymology

Depicts a tool (辛) piercing through a person's eye (目). This was usually given as punishment to criminals. 東 was added later to represent the sound. Based on the original meaning "male criminal". The meaning later shifted to "boy servant" (now written as 僮) and "child".

About

Although 童 now looks like 立 'to stand' above 里 'village', this structure is the result of graphical assimilation. Originally, the character depicted a tattooing knife (辛) piercing an eye (目), a punishment inflicted on criminals. The component 東 was added later to mark the pronunciation. Its earliest meaning, 'male criminal', later shifted to 'boy servant' (now written 僮) and then to the modern sense of 'child'. A secondary meaning 'bare' or 'bald', describing a treeless mountain, for instance, also remains in use.

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)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (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)

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)

Seal etymology image

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

儿童节快到了。

Ér tóng jié kuài dào le.

Children's Day is coming soon.

我的童年很幸福。

Wǒ de tóng nián hěn xìng fú.

My childhood was very happy.

她喜欢读童话故事。

Tā xǐ huān dú tóng huà gù shì.

She likes to read fairy tales.

童声合唱团表演很精彩。

Tóng shēng hé chàng tuán biǎo yǎn hěn jīng cǎi.

The children's choir performance was wonderful.

保护童真是很重要的。

Bǎo hù tóng zhēn shì hěn zhòng yào de.

Protecting childlike innocence is very important.

禁止使用童工是国际共识。

Jìn zhǐ shǐ yòng tóng gōng shì guó jì gòng shí.

Prohibiting child labor is an international consensus.

这幅画充满了童趣和想象力。

Zhè fú huà chōng mǎn le tóng qù hé xiǎng xiàng lì.

This painting is full of childlike fun and imagination.

童装设计需要考虑到儿童的安全性。

Tóng zhuāng shè jì xū yào kǎo lǜ dào ér tóng de ān quán xìng.

Children's clothing design needs to consider the safety of children.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 立

Component: 里

Example Words