[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Anatomy-and-Living \ #Human-Body # 头 tóu head ## Components [[大 (dà)]] [[丶 (zhǔ)]] ## Meaning The character "头" (tóu) means "head" in Chinese. It is commonly used to refer to the anatomical head of a person or an animal. Additionally, it can also be used metaphorically to represent the "top" or "beginning" of something, such as the head of a company or the beginning of a list. ## History The character "头" (tóu) has evolved over time, transitioning from more detailed depictions to simplified forms. In its earliest incarnation, seen in Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén), "头" resembled a human head, featuring distinct facial features like eyes, nose, and mouth, often with hair depicted on top. As time progressed into the Bronze Inscriptions (金文 jīnwén) period, this depiction became slightly more abstract, yet still maintained recognizable human-like characteristics. Moving into the Seal Script (篆书 zhuànshū) stage, the character's form became more stylized and geometric, with less emphasis on individual facial features and more on overall shape. By the time of Clerical Script (隶书 lìshū) and Regular Script (楷书 kǎishū), "头" had undergone further simplification, resulting in the form we recognize today. The character adopted a square-shaped appearance, with a single stroke on top symbolizing the hair or crown of the head. Throughout its evolution, the character "头" gradually shifted from a detailed representation of a human head to a more abstract and standardized form, while maintaining its fundamental meaning of "head." ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ？ ### Bronze Script ![[头 tóu - bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[头 tóu - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[头 tóu - cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[头 tóu - reg.svg]]