生shēng

Modern simplified form (簡體). 生 (shēng, "to be born, life") has remained unchanged from its ancient pictograph—a sprouting plant emerging from the soil, a symbol so vivid that it has survived three millennia virtually untouched. As a radical it appears in characters such as 姓 (surname), 胜 (victory), and 笙 (a musical instrument), showing its enduring role in the writing system.