玉 (yù)

jade

Etymology

Pictograph of a ritual object made out of several pieces of jade joined together by a string. A dot was later added to 玉 to distinguish it from 王 (king).

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“玉,石之美。有五德:潤澤以溫,仁之方也;理自外,可以知中,義之方也;其聲舒揚,專以遠聞,智之方也;不橈而折,勇之方也;銳廉而不技,絜之方也。象三玉之連,丨,其貫也。,古文玉。”

Components