类
kind; type; class; category; (classifier) kind; type; (bound form) to resemble; to be similar to
Closest English meanings
kind·type·class·category
The Calligrapher — Mǐ Fú 米芾
Song eccentric genius of dynamic, 'flying' running script.
Song calligrapher (1051–1107), master of running script — Song eccentric genius ('crazy Zhang, idiot Mi') whose running script alternates discipline with glee. Song dynasty
Cultural Story
类 means kind or species. The Yijing's commentary says things gather by kind — 方以类聚 — and Mozi's logicians argued by sorting claims into 类. Encyclopedic herb and bird books filed each entry by 类, and the maxim 触类旁通 urged scholars to extend one pattern to all its kindred cases — the classical art of analogy.
Common words & phrases
- 种类 kind · type
- 类似 similar · like
- 人类 humanity · mankind
- 类别 category
- 类型 type
- 同类 same kind
Read the story behind the character
Humans pride themselves as 人类; shoppers filter by 类型 and 类别 on shopping apps; programmers classify bugs by 种类. Look-alike things are 类似, kindred spirits are 同类, and AI headlines sort images into thousands of categories — the ancient logic of grouping by kind, now running at silicon speed.
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