Sinograph Addenda · Signs
self
| Name | self |
|---|---|
| Reads | zì |
| Means | self; from — the reflexive and the point of origin |
| Taught in | 07 · With, by, from, at |
Where it comes from
A nose drawn face-on — bridge, nostrils and all; the reading is classic. Pointing at one’s own nose to mean “me” is a gesture Chinese speakers still make, and the graph froze it. The sense “from” (a starting point — where the self stands) rides along. Taught in the coverb chapter.
How to remember it
The nose you point at when you say me: self — and every journey measured from it.
In the wild
urn:nabu:kanripo:KR5c0057:033:1a · license: attribution.