Zhou Xingsi, Southern Liang dynasty
千字文 · Thousand Character Classic
One thousand characters, none repeated.
1000charsfull text · 250 verses
0repeatsin traditional form
993charsunique in simplified
83itemsvariants noted
Character wall
All one thousand characters, laid out in original order. Click any character to see its verse.
The text
Click a verse and the four matching characters light up on the wall. Pinyin is shown under each verse.
Seven repeated characters in simplified
The original has no repeats, but merging traditional and simplified forms creates seven groups. A trace of how scripts evolved.
云←云 / 雲
Verse 9, 156
昆←崑 / 昆
Verse 12, 159
巨←巨 / 鉅
Verse 13, 160
发←發 / 髮
Verse 26, 37
洁←潔 / 絜
Verse 41, 209
并←並 / 并
Verse 154, 234
戚←慼 / 戚
Verse 188, 205
Textual variants
Character differences between the base edition and other transmitted editions:
Expand all 83 variants
| Verse | Base | Variant |
|---|---|---|
| Verse 1 | 天地玄黃 | 元 |
| Verse 8 | 律呂調陽 | 呂、侶 |
| Verse 12 | 玉出崑岡 | 崑 |
| Verse 17 | 海鹹河淡 | 醎 |
| Verse 21 | 始制文字 | 製 |
| Verse 26 | 周發殷湯 | 商 |
| Verse 27 | 坐朝問道 | 座 |
| Verse 28 | 垂拱平章 | 誰 |
| Verse 31 | 遐邇壹體 | 一 |
| Verse 33 | 鳴鳳在樹 | 竹 |
| Verse 37 | 蓋此身髮 | 𩬊 |
| Verse 41 | 女慕貞絜 | 潔、烈 |
| Verse 44 | 得能莫忘 | 德 |
| Verse 45 | 罔談彼短 | 佊 |
| Verse 49 | 墨悲絲染 | 染 |
| Verse 52 | 克念作聖 | 克、尅 |
| Verse 53 | 德建名立 | 得 |
| Verse 57 | 禍因惡積 | 𥢧 |
| Verse 60 | 寸陰是競 | 競 |
| Verse 62 | 曰嚴與敬 | 以 |
| Verse 66 | 夙興溫凊 | 凊 |
| Verse 70 | 淵澄取映 | 映 |
| Verse 73 | 篤初誠美 | 成 |
| Verse 79 | 存以甘棠 | 當 |
| Verse 94 | 造次弗離 | 沸 |
| Verse 101 | 堅持雅操 | 㩰、操 |
| Verse 102 | 好爵自縻 | 糜 |
| Verse 104 | 東西二京 | 貳 |
| Verse 105 | 背邙面洛 | 邙 |
| Verse 110 | 畫彩仙靈 | 彩、𢵛 |
| Verse 112 | 甲帳對楹 | 𦳲 |
| Verse 115 | 升階納陛 | 昇 |
| Verse 121 | 杜稿鍾隸 | 稿 |
| Verse 122 | 漆書壁經 | 柒 |
| Verse 122 | 漆書壁經 | 碧 |
| Verse 124 | 路俠槐卿 | 梜 |
| Verse 128 | 驅轂振纓 | 駈 |
| Verse 133 | 磻溪伊尹 | 磎 |
| Verse 140 | 說感武丁 | 悅 |
| Verse 141 | 俊乂密勿 | 𭃆 |
| Verse 148 | 韓弊煩刑 | 形 |
| Verse 151 | 宣威沙漠 | 莫 |
| Verse 154 | 百郡秦并 | 併 |
| Verse 155 | 嶽宗恆岱 | 泰 |
| Verse 158 | 雞田赤城 | 荊 |
| Verse 159 | 昆池碣石 | 混 |
| Verse 164 | 務茲稼穡 | 慈 |
| Verse 166 | 我藝黍稷 | 俄 |
| Verse 168 | 勸賞黜陟 | 償 |
| Verse 170 | 史魚秉直 | 事儀 |
| Verse 172 | 勞謙謹敕 | 敕 |
| Verse 174 | 鑑貌辨色 | 辨 |
| Verse 179 | 殆辱近恥 | 耻、𦔺 |
| Verse 180 | 林皋幸即 | 臨 |
| Verse 180 | 林皋幸即 | 皋 |
| Verse 181 | 兩疏見機 | 疏、踈 |
| Verse 183 | 索居閑處 | 閒 |
| Verse 184 | 沈默寂寥 | 寮 |
| Verse 185 | 求古尋論 | 味 |
| Verse 186 | 散慮逍遙 | 慮散 |
| Verse 189 | 渠荷的歷 | 河 |
| Verse 191 | 枇杷晚翠 | 笓笆 |
| Verse 192 | 梧桐早雕 | 蚤 |
| Verse 192 | 梧桐早雕 | 凋、彫 |
| Verse 194 | 落葉飄搖 | 搖 |
| Verse 197 | 耽讀玩市 | 玩 |
| Verse 200 | 屬耳垣牆 | 牆 |
| Verse 201 | 具膳餐飯 | 餐、喰 |
| Verse 203 | 飽飫烹宰 | 烹 |
| Verse 206 | 老少異糧 | 糧 |
| Verse 209 | 紈扇圓潔 | 圓 |
| Verse 210 | 銀燭煒煌 | 煒 |
| Verse 212 | 藍筍象床 | 筍 |
| Verse 212 | 藍筍象床 | 牀 |
| Verse 213 | 弦歌酒宴 | 弦 |
| Verse 218 | 祭祀烝嘗 | 蒸 |
| Verse 221 | 箋牒簡要 | 箋 |
| Verse 223 | 骸垢想浴 | 洛 |
| Verse 236 | 工顰妍笑 | 顰 |
| Verse 236 | 工顰妍笑 | 妍 |
| Verse 238 | 曦暉朗曜 | 曦 |
| Verse 238 | 曦暉朗曜 | 耀 |
| Verse 239 | 璇璣懸斡 | 旋 |