[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Wealth # 钱 qián money; cash ## Components [[钅 (jīn)]] [[戈 (gē)]] [[丿 (piě)]] ## Meaning Today, the character "钱" (qián) primarily means "money" or "currency." It refers to coins or banknotes used as a medium of exchange in financial transactions. Additionally, it can be used more broadly to denote wealth or financial resources. ## History The character "钱" (qián) originally referred to an iron shovel and is a phono-semantic compound character. The component "金" (metal) on the left indicates its initial association with metals. The component "戋" (jiān) on the right represents the phonetic aspect, while "戈" (gē) shares the same pronunciation and implies something small, suggesting that the iron shovel can break soil into small pieces. Later, "钱" came to exclusively refer to currency. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ？ ### Bronze Script ？ ### Seal Script ![[钱 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[钱 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[钱 reg.svg]]