The Ascent to the High Place

The character 就 originally appeared as the ideogrammic compound 𫢁. This form was composed of two elements: 享, representing a temple, and 京, representing a tower. Together, these components formed a compound meaning to sacrifice at a high place.

As the character evolved during the Warring States period, the component 享 was omitted. By the time of the seal script, the character was modified to include 尤 on the right side. According to the Shuowen Jiezi, the character is composed of 京 and 尤, with 尤 meaning "different from the ordinary." This addition signified the concept of high or to go to a higher place.

In its modern usage, 就 carries a wide range of meanings. It can mean to approach, to move towards, to reach, or to arrive at. It is also used to denote undertaking, engaging in, or following something. Furthermore, the character can mean to succeed or to complete.

The character is cognate with 造 (reconstructed as *skʰuːɡs), which means to proceed to. Its development is recorded across several ancient scripts, including oracle, bronze, chu, qin, seal, and regular scripts.

Explore the full etymology graph of 就 on etymfun.com.

Based on Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the sources listed on etymfun.com; written by a local model and fact-checked statement by statement against them. Illustration generated locally.

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