Sinograph Addenda · Signs
cowrie
| Name | cowrie |
|---|---|
| Reads | bèi |
| Means | cowrie shell; wealth, value |
| Taught in | 10 · If and then |
Where it comes from
A cowrie shell drawn face-on, its two feelers trailing below — the oldest forms are unmistakably the shell. Cowries were money before coins were cast, and the graph kept the job after the shells retired: characters about value, goods, and trade wear 貝 as their marker. Taught in the if-and-then chapter.
How to remember it
A shell with feelers: cowrie — the money that came before money.
In the wild
urn:nabu:kanripo:KR1c0001:019:101a · license: attribution.