[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Abstract-Concepts \ #Quantity # 万 wàn ten thousand ## Components [[一 yī]] ## Meaning The Chinese character 万 (wàn) means "ten thousand." In addition to its numerical value, 万 (wàn) can also be used to refer to a large number or multitude, similar to the English use of "myriad" or "countless." It's also commonly used in the sense of "everything" or "all," emphasizing completeness or totality. Moreover, 万 (wàn) is used in personal names, place names, and idiomatic expressions. ## History The Chinese character 万 (wàn) means "ten thousand" and has a long history dating back to ancient times. Originally depicted as a pictograph of a scorpion in Oracle Bone Script, it represented a large number. During the Zhou Dynasty, the character became more stylized in the Bronze Inscription Script, but its basic meaning remained. In the Seal Script of the Qin Dynasty, 万 became more angular and simplified. Further simplification occurred during the Han Dynasty in the Clerical Script, making 万 more recognizable as the character used today. In modern Regular Script, 万 is further standardized, maintaining its basic structure from the Clerical Script. Throughout its evolution, 万 has retained its meaning of "ten thousand" or "a large number," and it's also used to represent completeness or totality. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[万 wàn - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[万 wàn - bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[万 wàn - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[万 wàn - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[万 wàn - reg.svg]]