[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Politics-and-Military # 士 shì person trained in a certain field ## Components [[士 (shì)]] ## Meaning Today, "士" generally refers to a man or male individual. It is also used as an honorific title, such as in "烈士" (hero) or "女士" (lady). Additionally, it can denote a soldier or a person of noble character and high moral standing. ## History "士" is a pictographic character originally representing young crops growing in the field. In oracle bone script, it resembled young crops emerging from the ground. In the small seal script and regular script, an additional horizontal line was added to the "土" (earth) radical, forming the current character. According to the "Shuowen Jiezi," it describes "士" as "a cart," but its meaning is actually closer to farming, referring to men working in the fields. Over time, it evolved to represent men in general and later came to refer to soldiers. It is also an honorific title for individuals, such as "烈士" (hero) or "女士" (lady). ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[士 shì - ora 1.svg]] ### Bronze Script ? ### Seal Script ![[士 shì - sello 1.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[士 shì - cle 1.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[士 shì - reg 1.svg]]