历史
lì shǐ · history
我喜欢学习历史。
I like studying history.
Chinese character · HSK 4
史 (shǐ) — “history / annals”
The character originally depicts a hand (the bottom crossing strokes) holding a writing brush to write on a record or scroll (the top box), perfectly illustrating the concept of a historian recording history.
Memory cue
A historian's hand sweeps across the page, holding a brush to write the history of the world in an open scroll.
Video mnemonic
Watch 史 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 史
史 directly refers to history in 历史 and keeps that idea inside the fixed expression 史无前例.
史无前例
shǐ wú qián lì · unprecedented in history
这次发现是史无前例的。
This discovery is unprecedented.
Usage note: Literally, history has no earlier example. Learn this four-character expression as a unit.
Inside the character
- 口 (mouth) — meaning component. Often marks speaking, eating, or any opening.
- 乂 (X-cross / govern) — meaning component. A crossing stroke — appears in 区 / 凶 / 杀, sometimes carrying a governing or crossing sense.
Where 史 comes from
In ancient Oracle Bone script, '史' was an ideogram showing a right hand holding a writing brush or an official tally, directly representing the occupation of an official scribe or historian.
Don’t mix up 史
These characters are close enough in shape to misread at speed. Telling them apart is a matter of spotting the one component that differs.
- 事 (shì, matter / affair) — Both contain 口 — the rest of the character is what tells them apart.
Learn 史 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100
characters are free.
More characters: 壮 (zhuàng, strong / robust) · 壶 (hú, pot / kettle) · 夹 (jiā, to clip / to squeeze) — or browse the full character library.