第 1 课

to stop;

“止” is a single-component character, categorized as a pictogram. 

Etymology and Evolution

• Oracle Bone Script:
  Resembles a simplified foot, highlighting the toes. It typically depicts three toes or a generalized outline, representing a human foot.

• Bronze Script:
  Inherits the oracle bone form, with a more regularized foot shape that emphasizes the connection between the sole and toes.

• Small Seal Script (Shuowen Jiezi):
  The character becomes more linear, written as “止”. 
  
  
  
  

• Clerical and Regular Script:
  Evolves into the modern form “止,” with strokes straightened and the foot shape abstracted into horizontal and vertical lines.

Original and Extended Meanings

1. Original meaning: Foot.

2. Extended meanings:

   • To stop, cease:  The oracle bone character depicts a complete foot planted firmly on the ground. When your foot steps forward, lands, and settles firmly, that step is complete. The ancients abstracted this concrete scene of "the foot landing, a step completing" both philosophically and semantically:

     
     

     Spatially: The place where the foot lands and stands firm is where the movement arrives (the character “止” is cognate with “至,” meaning "to arrive"), i.e., the endpoint of the journey.

     
     

     Temporally: The moment the foot lands and stands firm is when the forward motion pauses or ends.

     
     

     Thus, the meaning of “止” naturally expanded from a concrete point of completed action (the foot touching down and holding still) to the general concept of all actions "stopping, ceasing to proceed."

   • To cause to stop: e.g., “制止” (restrain), “止血” (stop bleeding).

   • Only, merely: e.g., “不止如此” (not only that).

“止”是独体字，属于象形字。 

字源及演变

• 甲骨文：
  像一只脚掌的简形，突出脚趾部分。通常画作三趾或简化轮廓，代表人的脚。

• 金文：
  继承甲骨文，脚形更规整，强调脚掌与脚趾的整体形态。
  

• 小篆（《说文解字》）：
  字形线条化，写作“止”。许慎解释为“下基也。象艸木出有址，故以止为足”，本义为脚趾，引申为基址、停止。
  

• 隶书与楷书：
  逐渐演变为现代字形“止”，笔画平直化，脚趾形象已抽象为横竖组合。
  

本义与引申义

1. 本义：脚趾（后写作“趾”）。

2. 引申义：

   • 停住、不再进行：甲骨文画的是一只完整的，稳稳站在地上的脚。当你的脚向前迈出并落地稳稳站住时，这一步就完成了。古人将“脚落地、一步完成”这个具体场景，进行哲学和语义上的抽象：

     
     

     空间上：脚落地稳稳站住的地方，就是移动所至的地方（“止”与“至”同源），也就是行程的终点。

     
     

     时间上：脚落地稳稳站住的那一刻，就是前进动作暂停或结束的一刻。

     
     

     于是，“止”的意义很自然地从一个具体的动作完成点（脚触地站住），扩大为所有动作的 “停住、不再进行” 。

   • 使停住：如“制止”、“止血”。

   • 仅、只：如“不止如此”。