[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Character-Traits # 仁 rén benevolence, humanity ## Components [[亻(rén)]] [[二 (èr)]] ## Meaning The character 仁 (rén) primarily means "benevolence" or "humanity." It represents the virtue of kindness, compassion, and goodwill towards others. ## History The character 仁 (rén) originally meant "benevolence" or "loving-kindness," representing kindness, compassion, and goodwill towards others. In the "Shuowen Jiezi," an ancient Chinese dictionary, it is defined as "亲地," meaning "close to the heart." In ancient texts, "仁" was also used as a loan character for "人" (rén), meaning "person." Additionally, the innermost part of a fruit, such as a walnut, is called "仁," as in "核桃仁" (hé táo rén), meaning "walnut kernel." The character "仁" is a compound ideogram, combining the semantic component "人" (rén), meaning "person," and "二" (èr), representing two people. In its evolution from Oracle Bone Script to Small Seal Script, "仁" came to symbolize the harmonious relationship between people, with one person leaning on another. Today, "仁" is associated with benevolence, kindness, and moral integrity, reflecting the perfect moral standard and the virtue of kindness towards others. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[仁 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[仁 seal 1.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[仁 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[仁 reg.svg]]