[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Politics-and-Military # 业 yè profession, business ## Components [[一 (yī)]] [[丨 (gǔn)]] [[丷 (bǎ)]] ## Meaning The Chinese character 业 (yè) has a rich and nuanced set of meanings: 1. **Business, profession, industry**: 业 refers to one's occupation, business, or profession. It can denote a specific field of work or industry. For example, 商业 (shāngyè) means "commerce" or "business," 教育业 (jiàoyù yè) means "education industry," and 娱乐业 (yúlè yè) means "entertainment industry." 2. **Work, task, duty**: 业 can indicate work, tasks, or duties to be done. It implies the notion of something that one engages in regularly or as part of one's responsibilities. For example, 工作 (gōngzuò) means "work" or "job," 任务 (rènwu) means "task," and 职业 (zhíyè) means "profession" or "occupation." 4. **Karma, fate**: In Buddhist contexts, 业 (karma) refers to the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. Additionally, 业 (yè) is used in various compound words and phrases, giving meanings related to its different usages. It is a versatile character that encompasses various aspects of work, study, and life. ## History The Chinese character 业 (yè) has a long and diverse history. In its earliest form, seen in the Oracle Bone Script, 业 depicted a person bending over to work, symbolizing the idea of work, task, or duty. During the Zhou Dynasty, the character evolved into a more stylized representation in the Bronze Inscription Script, but its basic meaning of "work" or "task" remained. In the Seal Script of the Qin Dynasty, 业 became more angular and simplified. Further simplification occurred during the Han Dynasty in the Clerical Script, making 业 more recognizable as the character used today. In modern Regular Script, 业 is further standardized, maintaining its basic structure from the Clerical Script. Throughout its evolution, 业 has retained its fundamental meanings of "work," "task," "duty," or "occupation." Over time, its usage expanded to include the broader concepts of "business," "profession," "industry," and "study" or "learning." Additionally, in Buddhist contexts, 业 (karma) came to refer to the sum of a person's actions, deciding their fate in future existences. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[业 yè - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[业 yè - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[业 yè - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[业 yè - reg.svg]]