此
cǐ · HSK 4
this
👉 此 = 止 (foot/stop) + 匕 (person) — person stops HERE, at this spot
Ancient form shows a person (匕) beside a foot (止) that has halted — marking the very spot where they stand: 'this place, this one'. Modern 此 still means 'this/here' in formal Chinese (因此 = therefore, 从此 = from now on).
此 — foot 止 + spoon/person 匕
此 originally depicted a person (匕) standing with a foot (止), suggesting 'to stop here' or 'this place.' Over time the meaning generalized from a specific location to the demonstrative pronoun 'this.' The foot component still hints at the original sense of standing in a particular spot.