qiú

prisoner

HSK 7

Evolution

囚 in seal script
Seal Script · ~200 BCE
Modern
pictograph

A person (人) inside a box (囗). That's it. That's the whole character. A person trapped in an enclosure = prisoner. This one hasn't changed in 3,000 years because it was already perfect.

Components

口 ancient form
enclosure
人 ancient form
person

Related Characters

Further Reading

25 Characters With Wild EtymologiesGuide

Appears in Stories