Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 虐 (cruelty, oppression) evolved from ancient pictographs showing a tiger (虍) attacking a human figure. In its earliest forms found in oracle bone script, the character depicted a tiger with its paws on a person, symbolizing brutal oppression. Over time, this evolved through bronze script into the modern form, where the tiger radical (虍) remains at the top, while the lower component represents the victim. The character has consistently maintained its core meaning of cruelty, tyranny, and mistreatment throughout Chinese history, appearing in classical texts describing oppressive rulers and harsh treatment. Arrived in Japan: The character 虐 arrived in Japan during the Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) through cultural exchange with China, likely transmitted via Korean peninsula. It was systematically introduced along with other Chinese characters during the 5th-6th centuries CE when Japanese scholars began studying Chinese writing systems in earnest. The character was incorporated into the Japanese writing system as a kanji, retaining its original meaning of cruelty and oppression, and appears in early Japanese texts such as the Manyoshu poetry collection from the 8th century.