兣
Character Story & Explanation
兣 appears on pre-1950s Chinese pharmaceutical labels, laboratory notebooks, and imported product packaging (e.g., Japanese or German goods sold in Shanghai or Tianjin). It was used alongside other metric abbreviations like 公升 (gōng shēng, 'liter') and 公分 (gōng fēn, 'centimeter'). The term 釐克 itself derives from Japanese kanji usage (厘 + 克), adopted into Chinese scientific writing before standardization. By the 1959 State Council metric reform, 克 replaced 釐克 — and 兣 faded entirely.
The character 兣 has no ancient origin: it’s a 20th-century typographic contraction — likely formed by overlapping the top of 釐 (with its component) and the bottom of 克. No oracle bone, seal, or clerical script forms exist. Today, you might spot it only in museum exhibits, digitized archives of Republican-era texts, or antique apothecary jars — never in textbooks, apps, or street signs.
Hi students! Let’s talk about the character 兣 — pronounced 'lí kè' (not 'lì kè'; the first tone is key!). This is not a standard modern Chinese character you’ll find in dictionaries or textbooks. It’s a rare, contracted form of 釐克 (lí kè), an old-fashioned transliteration of the metric unit 'gram' used in early 20th-century China, especially in scientific and commercial contexts before standardized terms like 克 (kè) became universal.
Don’t worry — you won’t need to write or memorize 兣 for HSK exams or daily conversation. It has zero strokes because it’s not a true independent character with a stroke-based structure; rather, it’s a shorthand ligature or typographic variant historically created by fusing parts of 釐 and 克. Think of it like an old-style abbreviation — similar to how 'lb.' stands for 'pound' in English.
Its existence reflects how China adapted Western measurement systems during the Republican era (1912–1949). While fascinating historically, 兣 is obsolete today. Modern Mandarin uses 克 (kè) exclusively for 'gram'. So treat 兣 as a linguistic artifact — useful for reading historical documents or vintage packaging, but not for speaking or writing contemporary Chinese.
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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