Characters & Culture
汉字演变
Character History Flipbook
Select any of the 100 most-used daily characters and flip through its evolution — from oracle bones to the modern forms written today. 3,000 years of history in six stages.
Select a character (100 total)
Viewing:人rén— person / people(2 strokes)
人
甲骨文
c. 1200–1050 BCE
Oracle Bone Script
Stage 1 of 6A clear side-profile pictograph of a standing person, slightly stooped. Two strokes suggest legs in motion — one long, one short. The earliest written form already captured the essential geometry of human posture.
Historical context
Inscribed on animal bones and turtle shells used in royal divination rituals during the Shang dynasty.
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