Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 委 has an interesting evolution. In its earliest forms, it depicted a woman (女) bending over stalks of grain (禾), suggesting the meaning of 'to bend' or 'to submit.' Over time, this concrete image evolved into the more abstract meanings of 'to entrust,' 'to appoint,' or 'to rely on,' as one submits a matter to another. The modern form clearly shows the components 禾 (grain) above 女 (woman), though the original pictorial quality has been lost in the standardization of the character. Arrived in Japan: The character 委, along with the vast majority of Chinese characters, was introduced to Japan during the 5th to 6th centuries CE, primarily through the Korean peninsula via Buddhist texts, official seals, and other cultural artifacts. Its adoption was part of the broader cultural influx that established the use of Chinese writing (kanbun) in Japan, which later evolved into the Japanese kanji system.