How it changed
The story you’ll hear
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.
What the old dictionaries say
Checks outThis one checks out: a person (人) inside an enclosure (囗) means a prisoner. One nerdy detail: the box is 囗, "enclosure", not 口, "mouth".
What it’s made of
personSee it in a story
Related characters
Read characters like this in real stories
Every one has word-level pinyin, narrated audio and tap-to-define.
HSK 1The Tea Is Too Hot
A girl serves tea to her visiting Chinese teacher, but it’s too hot to drink.
3 chapters · audio + pinyin
HSK 2The Book We Both Wanted
Two customers claim one childhood book; a shopkeeper gives them until six to explain why.
4 chapters · audio + pinyin
HSK 3No Seat in the Library
A student resents a classmate saving seats, then learns his roommate is hospitalized.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
HSK 4Sunrise on Huangshan
Four friends' Huangshan sunrise trip hits train delays, a storm, and a bad booking.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
HSK 5Dumplings or Tangyuan
A young wife's first solstice turns tense when her mother-in-law hides the tangyuan flour.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
HSK 6The Kitchen Behind the App
An inspector traces illness complaints to twelve delivery restaurants sharing four kitchens.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin