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zhào

Character evolution

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Simplified · Today

Shuowen

赵 (zhào) – In the earliest shells the character is composed of the walking radical (走) on the left and a mouth (口) on the right, signifying “a person speaking while moving” – an image of a messenger or herald. The later standardized form retained the “走” and “口”, and the name was adopted for the ancient state of Zhao, later becoming a common surname.

Pinyin

zhào· HSK 2