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赛sài

Character evolution

赛

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Simplified · Today

Shuowen

赛 (sài) – In oracle‑bone script the character appears as a figure (亻) inside a roofed structure (宀) holding a jade‑like object, depicting a ritual offering; the phonetic “塞” (sài) provides the sound, while the roof (宀) denotes the temple where the offering was made. Later the roof was replaced by the grass radical (⺾) in the simplified form, and the original sense of “to present a sacrifice” broadened to “to compare, to contend”, giving modern meanings such as “比赛” (competition).

Pinyin

sài· HSK 2