[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Natural-World \ #Animals # 马 mǎ horse ## Componentes [[马 (mǎ)]] [[一 (yī)]] ## Meaning The character 马 (mǎ) represents the concept of a horse in Chinese culture. Horses have played a significant role in Chinese history, serving as vital companions in transportation, agriculture, warfare, and cultural practices. ## History In its earliest forms, the character 马 (mǎ) closely resembled the shape of a horse, with distinctive features such as a mane, tail, and four legs. These early pictographs were relatively realistic representations of horses, reflecting the importance of horses in ancient Chinese society for transportation, agriculture, warfare, and various other purposes. Over time, as Chinese writing systems evolved, the character 马 (mǎ) underwent stylistic changes to become more standardized and stylized. During the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE), the character's depiction in bronze inscriptions became more refined, with clearer outlines and simplified features, while still retaining its essential horse-like form. With the emergence of the seal script during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (c. 770–256 BCE), the character 马 (mǎ) took on a more abstract and stylized appearance, featuring simplified strokes and fewer details. Despite these changes, the essential elements of the horse remained recognizable. The character 马 (mǎ) continued to evolve through subsequent script styles, including the clerical script, regular script, and cursive script, each with its own variations in form and style. Despite these changes, the fundamental meaning of the character as "horse" remained consistent throughout its history. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[马 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[马 bron.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[马 sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[马 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[马 reg.svg]]