Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 任 has evolved from ancient pictographs showing a person bearing a weight or responsibility. In Liushutong, L12277 shows the earliest form with 人 (person) and 王 (jade tablet/symbol of authority), representing someone entrusted with official duties. Over time, it simplified to the modern 任, combining 亻(person radical) with 壬 (bearing responsibility). The core meaning has remained consistent - to appoint, trust with responsibility, or undertake a duty. It embodies the Confucian ideal of trustworthy service in governance. Arrived in Japan: The character 任 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, primarily through the introduction of Chinese writing systems and Confucian texts via Korean peninsula scholars. It became established in the Japanese writing system during the Asuka period (538-710 CE) and appears in early Japanese documents like the Nihon Shoki (720 CE).