[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Wealth # 买 mǎi to buy ## Components [[大 dà]] [[乛 (yǐ)]] [[长点 ((cháng diǎn))]] [[头 tóu]] ## Meaning The Chinese character 买 (mǎi) means "to buy" or "to purchase." 买 (mǎi) is commonly used in daily conversation to indicate the action of buying or purchasing something. ## History In its earliest form, found in Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文, jiǎgǔwén), it depicted a net holding an object, possibly representing goods or commodities being exchanged. As the character evolved, particularly in Bronze Script (金文, jīnwén) and Seal Script (篆书, zhuànshū), the depiction of the hand and the object became more abstract, resembling a net. The character 买 (mǎi) in its current form in Regular Script (楷书, kǎishū) still retains this visual resemblance to a net, with the upper part representing a net's frame or structure, and the lower part symbolizing the items or goods being caught or exchanged within the net. Despite its visual evolution, the character 买 (mǎi) continues to symbolize the action of buying or purchasing, much like a net catches things, the character 买 (mǎi) captures the idea of acquiring goods or commodities. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[买oracular.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[买seal.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[买cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[买 reg.svg]]