七qī

七

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

The character 七 (qī, "seven") has remained unchanged between simplified and traditional forms — a rare case of visual continuity. Originally depicting a horizontal stroke crossed by a downward-slanting vertical line, its ancient shape may have represented the division of a whole, though scholars debate whether it was ever a true pictograph. Today it appears in familiar compounds like 七夕 (Double Seventh Festival) and 七上八下 (seven up, eight down — idiom for unsettled).

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Shuowen

七. The oracle bone form is a simple cross—a horizontal stroke intersected by a vertical one, the same shape that would become the number seven. It is written this way because the cross originally depicted a cutting or dividing action, later abstracted to represent the seventh numeral in the sequence.

Pinyin

qī· HSK 1

七qī

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin