[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Politics-and-Military # 都 dū，dōu all，both；capital， major city ## Components [[⻏ (yì)]] [[者 zhě]] ## Meaning In contemporary usage, the character "都" (dū, dōu) has several meanings: 1. **Capital or Major City**: It often refers to a capital city or a significant urban area. For example, "北京是中国的首都" (Beijing is the capital of China). 2. **All or Both**: As a particle (dōu), it signifies "all" or "both," indicating inclusiveness. For example, "他们都来了" (They all came). 3. **Emphasis**: It can also be used for emphasis, as in "我都知道" (I know everything). Overall, "都" plays an important role in both geographical and grammatical contexts in modern Chinese. ## History The character "都" (dū, dōu) is a phonetic-semantic compound. The left part, represented by the radical "邑" (yì), signifies a city or settlement, resembling the shape of people and their living areas. The right part, "渚" (zhǔ), refers to a small piece of land in water or the banks of a river, indicating that many ancient cities were built near water or had moats for protection. Originally, "都" meant a large city. Today, it can refer to a capital city or a major urban area. Additionally, it can function as a particle meaning "all" or "both," as in "都" (dōu), indicating inclusiveness. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ? ### Bronze Script ![[都 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[都 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[都 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[都 reg.svg]]