介jiè

介

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简体

Simplified Chinese

Modern simplified form (簡體). 介 (jiè, "to introduce, to lie between") has remained unchanged since ancient times — originally depicting a person wearing armor or protective gear on their back, a visual that evolved to mean "intermediate" or "to mediate." It appears in 界 (boundary), 价 (price), and 芥 (mustard), among other compounds.

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Shuowen

介. The oracle bone 介 depicts a human figure with a diagonal slash crossing the torso, which early scholars interpreted as a person wearing armor or a shield. The original meaning of 介 is “to intervene” or “to protect”, reflecting the role of armor as a barrier between the self and danger. The diagonal stroke was added to the human figure to visually indicate the presence of a protective layer, hence the character came to signify “to介” (to stand between) and later “to introduce”.

Pinyin

jiè· HSK 2

介jiè

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin