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 1
The Wrong Phone
Two classmates take identical phones by mistake and can’t unlock them or answer calls.
3 chapters · audio + pinyin
- HSK 2
The Book We Both Wanted
Two customers claim one childhood book; a shopkeeper gives them until six to explain why.
4 chapters · audio + pinyin
- HSK 3
No Seat in the Library
She resents a classmate who keeps saving an empty seat. Then she hears about his sick roommate.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
- HSK 4
Sunrise on Huangshan
Four friends go to see the Huangshan sunrise and get train delays, a storm, and a bad booking.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
- HSK 5
Dumplings or Tangyuan
Her first winter solstice as a wife, and her mother-in-law has hidden the tangyuan flour.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin
- HSK 6
The Kitchen Behind the App
Illness complaints lead an inspector to twelve delivery restaurants sharing four kitchens.
6 chapters · audio + pinyin