to inherit, to connect

Depicts inheriting knowledge and wisdom down to descendents through bamboo slips (). gives the sound.

Components
口 iconic component

  Iconic component

kǒu

  

mouth

This component possibly alludes to knowledge and wisdom that comes from the mouth.

冊 iconic component

  Iconic component

  

book

司 sound component

  Sound component

  

take charge of

Evolution

嗣 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
嗣 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
嗣 Clerical script Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Clerical script

Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
嗣 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

to connect, inherit; descendants, heirs; succession (to a title); to inherit; continuing (a tradition); posterity

Most common words with 嗣
Freq.
Word
Meaning

to inherit

子嗣

son

后嗣

heir

谭嗣同

Tan Sitong (1865-1898), Qing writer and politician, one of the Six Gentlemen Martyrs 戊戌六君子 of the unsuccessful reform movement of 1898

嗣后

after

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*sə.lə-s

ziH

succeed, inherit


Statistics

Not found in HSK word list

2693rd most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

13

Unicode

U+55E3

Shuowen

“嗣,諸侯嗣國也。从,从口,司聲,孠,古文嗣从子。”


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