图 is a Chinese character with HSK 3 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The traditional 圖 does not appear in oracle bone inscriptions; it emerges in bronze and seal script as an enclosure 囗 containing 啚, where 啚 depicts a granary or storehouse on raised ground. The composition suggested a bounded drawing of territory, hence a map or plan. The simplified 图 replaces the inner 啚 with 冬, purely as a cursive-derived shorthand with no semantic link.
Form evolution
Seal script shows the full 圖 with the granary element clearly articulated inside the square. Clerical script squared off the curves and began compressing the internal strokes. The modern simplified 图, standardised by the PRC, takes its shape from centuries-old cursive and handwritten abbreviations rather than any redesign.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest meaning was a drawn plan, specifically a map or diagram of land. It extended to pictures and charts generally, and as a verb to 'plan', 'scheme', or 'seek after'; as in 图谋 (to plot) or 企图 (to attempt). Modern Mandarin keeps both the noun sense (图片 picture, 地图 map) and the verb sense.
Cultural note
The verb use survives in common idioms like 贪图便宜 (to covet a bargain) and 不图回报 (to not seek return), which learners often miss because textbooks introduce 图 first as 'picture'. Classical Chinese 河图洛书 (the Yellow River Chart and Luo Writing) refers to mythical diagrams believed to encode cosmic order.
Basic info
Example sentences
Words containing 图
On the new HSK 3 exam
Studying for HSK 3? Keep 图 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.