网 is a Chinese character with radical 网 (net), HSK 2 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form of 网 is a clear pictograph of a hunting or fishing net: a rectangular or diamond-shaped frame crossed by diagonal mesh lines, sometimes with handles or poles at the sides. Bronze and seal forms preserve this woven-mesh structure unmistakably. It is one of the cleanest object-drawings in the early script.
Form evolution
From oracle bone through bronze, the mesh was drawn with actual crossing strokes inside a frame. The small seal form 網 regularised this into a 冂 enclosure with 亡 as a phonetic and 㐅 strokes representing the mesh inside. Clerical script squared the frame, and the modern simplified 网 strips out the phonetic 亡, leaving a schematic outline of the net itself, close in spirit to the original oracle pictograph.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning was a physical net for catching fish, birds, or game, and this sense dominated classical usage. It extended metaphorically to anything that traps or covers comprehensively, such as laws, surveillance, or obligations (法网, 天网). In modern Mandarin the dominant sense is the internet or any network (网络, 上网), a calque built on the same trapping-mesh image.
Cultural note
The radical form 罒 at the top of characters like 罗, 罚, 罩 is a flattened 网 and still carries the net sense, which is why many of those characters relate to capture or coverage. Learners often miss that 罒 is a net and not the eye radical 目 lying on its side.
Basic info
| Radical | 网 (#122: net) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #489 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 网
On the new HSK 2 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.