[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Objects-and-Machinery \ #Tools # 索 suǒ to search ## Components [[糸 (mì)]] [[冖 (mì)]] [[十 shí]] [[十 (shí)]] ## Meaning Today, the character 索 (suǒ) primarily means "to search for" or "to demand." It can also refer to a "rope" or "cord," although this meaning is less common. In contemporary usage, 索 is often found in phrases like 索要 (suǒyào), meaning "to request" or "to ask for." The character has expanded its meaning to encompass the idea of seeking or requesting something, maintaining some connection to its original association with ropes. ## History The character 索 (suǒ) is a gold-script character. In bronze inscriptions, it visually resembles a pair of hands twisting together to create rope. In small seal script, the character shows a rope in the center with curves on either side, indicating that the rope is thick. In clerical and regular scripts, the character looks like tools used for twisting ropes, with the lower part representing the rope itself. The original meaning of 索 is "thick rope." ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ？ ### Bronze Script ![[索 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[索 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[索 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[索 reg.svg]]