Dong Chinese dictionary

zhèng, zhēng

correct

Original meaning:

to attack (an enemy)

Depicts a foot (止) going out towards city walls (丁). 丁 also represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "to attack (an enemy)", now written as 征. The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "correct".

Components

丁 Sound Iconic component

dīng

cubes

Depicts city walls.

正 and 丁 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.正 /*C.teŋ/, /*teŋ-s/
丁 /*tˤeŋ/, /*tˤeŋ/, /*tˤreŋ/

Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 丁 than it was in ancient scripts.

止 Iconic component

zhǐ

(foot), stop

Depicts a foot.

Evolution

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

正

zhèng

right, proper, correct; straight; upright; proper; main; principal; to correct; to rectify; exactly; just (at that time); right (in that place); (math.) positive

正

zhēng

first month of the lunar year

Most common words with 正