[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Character-Traits # 义 yì justice; meaning ## Components [[丿 (piě)]] [[丶 (zhǔ)]] [[乂 yì]] ## Meaning "义" (yì) is commonly used in Chinese to convey the idea of moral righteousness or just conduct. It is also used in words related to justice, such as "公义" (gōngyì), meaning "justice," and "正义" (zhèngyì), meaning "righteousness." ## History The character "义" (yì) has undergone significant evolution over time. In its earliest form, found in oracle bone script, "义" depicted a person with outstretched arms, possibly representing the idea of a person standing upright or righteous. As the script evolved into bronze inscriptions, the character became more abstract, with the person's arms becoming more curved and the body more stylized. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the seal script simplified the character further. The person's arms were straightened, and the character took on a more symmetrical and balanced appearance. In the clerical script, the character "义" became more angular, with the person's arms reduced to short horizontal strokes. The modern form of the character "义" in regular script is similar to the clerical script. It consists of two horizontal strokes with a vertical stroke connecting them at the bottom, representing a person standing upright. Throughout its evolution, the character "义" has retained its meaning of "righteousness" or "justice," and it is commonly used in Chinese to convey the idea of moral righteousness or just conduct. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[义 ora 1.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[义 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[义 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[义 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[义 reg.svg]]