[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Literature-and-Education # 教 jiào teach; religion ## Components [[孝 xiào]] [[攵 (pū)]] ## Meaning The character "教" nowadays primarily means education or to teach. It refers to the act of imparting knowledge or guidance to others. Additionally, it can also mean to educate or instruct. ## History The character "教" is a compound ideogram. In the oracle bone script, the upper left part represents "交" (jiāo), indicating its sound, while the lower left part depicts a person. On the right side, there is a shape resembling a hand holding a whip or stick. In ancient slave societies, masters used whips or sticks to educate their slaves. Therefore, the original meaning of "教" is education and guidance. This meaning has been preserved to this day, as in "教导" (jiàodǎo) meaning guidance and "教师" (jiàoshī) meaning teacher. Additionally, "教" is also pronounced as "jiāo," indicating imparting knowledge and skills to others, as in "教书" (jiāoshū) meaning teaching. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[教 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[教 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[教 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[教 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[教 reg.svg]]