件jiàn

件

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Modern simplified form (簡體). 件 (jiàn, "item, piece, matter") remains unchanged from its traditional counterpart, composed of the person radical 亻 paired with 夂, originally suggesting a person moving forward or following. As a versatile measure word, it classifies events, matters, and objects in everyday speech, from案件 (ànjiàn, case) to零件 (língjiàn, component).

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Shuowen

件 (jiàn). Composed of the person radical 亻 and the phonetic element 夂, originally depicting a person carrying a burden or load. In oracle bone inscriptions it represented something that could be divided and counted—a unit or item—hence its modern meaning of "article, piece, item." The character captures the idea of something individual and separable, as if a person were setting apart one portion from a larger whole.

Pinyin

jiàn· HSK 1

件jiàn

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin