mò, wàn
ten thousand
Original meaning:
to not be seen
Variant of 丏. Depicts a person (人) with a cover on top, conveying the original meaning "to not be seen". The current meaning is a phonetic loan. Simplified form of 萬.
Evolution

Oracle script
(~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze script
Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Clerical script
Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)Regular script
ModernMost common words with 万
Freq. | Word | Meaning |
---|---|---|
ten thousand | ||
Your Majesty | ||
ten million | ||
very much | ||
omnipotent |
Component uses
Sources
季旭昇《說文新證》p.701
黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》p.2839-2840