十shí

十

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Modern simplified form (簡體). 十 (shí, "ten") has remained essentially unchanged for over three millennia — two intersecting lines that may have depicted a needle piercing cloth or simply represented the completeness of a full cycle. As a component it appears in 汁 (juice),卍 (swastika, a Buddhist symbol), and 針 (needle), where the cross still carries its ancient weight of completion.

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Shuowen

Ten. The figure of one horizontal stroke crossing one vertical one, representing the ten fingers on both hands—the original counting tool. This simple cross became the standard numeral ten in ancient China, the foundation of the decimal system that followed.

Pinyin

shí· HSK 1

十shí

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin