The characters were originally pictures of people, animals or other things, but over the centuries they have become increasingly stylized and no longer resemble the things they represent.
amazwi Chinese, izinhlamvu ekuqaleni ukuboniswa abantu, izilwane noma izinto, kodwa phakathi namakhulu eminyaka kwaya kuba eliqoshiwe kanye ayisekho zifane ngabantu abamelelwa yizo.