[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Anatomy-and-Living \ #Mentality # 乐 lè，yuè happy, cheerful ## Components [[丿 (piě)]] [[小 (xiǎo)]] ## Meaning The character "乐" (lè, yuè) originally depicted a person playing a musical instrument in oracle bone script. Over time, it evolved into its current form, which consists of the radical "亠" (tóu) on the top and the simplified form of the character "音" (yīn), meaning "sound" or "music," underneath. "乐" is commonly used to represent music or pleasure and is also associated with happiness, joy, and enjoyment. ## History The character "乐" (lè, yuè) has a rich history of evolution. In its earliest form, found in oracle bone script, "乐" depicted a person playing a musical instrument, such as a stringed instrument or a drum. As the script evolved into bronze inscriptions, the character became more stylized, with the person's arms and the musical instrument becoming more abstract. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the seal script simplified the character further, reducing the person's arms and the musical instrument to simple strokes. In the clerical script, "乐" became more angular, with the person's arms and the musical instrument further simplified. The modern form of the character "乐" in regular script is similar to the clerical script. It consists of the radical "亠" (tóu) on the top, representing a head, with the simplified form of the character "音" (yīn), meaning "sound" or "music," underneath. Throughout its evolution, the character "乐" has retained its original meaning of "music" or "pleasure." It is also used in words related to happiness, joy, and enjoyment. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[乐 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[乐 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[乐 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[乐 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[乐 reg.svg]]