<p>Splitting the character 安, we get 宀 + 女.</p>

<p>In oracle bone script, 宀 stands for house, and 女 means bride. The whole caracter means "bride in new house" (i.e. marriage).</p>

<p>In traditional Chinese culture, marrying a girl is a <em>huge</em> settlement in a man's life, so 安 means 安定 (settled), 安心 (relieved).</p>

<p><a href="http://www.vividict.com/WordInfo.aspx?id=3058" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reference</a> is in full Chinese (so it's a bit hard for learners to read).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-20T02:55:31.963Z
2017-08-20T02:55:31.963Z
iBug
<p>The comment by @dan is correct -「安」depicts a kneeling girl/woman in a building, indicating the meaning <em>sitting peacefully</em> > <em>peace, quiet</em>. It does not mean <em>bride in new house.</em></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Please don't use Vividict as a resource. It contains decidedly non-mainstream interpretations.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>「安」was originally composed of「宀」(<em>building</em>),「女」(picture of a kneeling <em>girl/woman</em>), and <strong>an extra mark located around the area between the woman's heels and buttocks</strong>, emphasising that the woman is in a kneeling/sitting position.</p>

<h1><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7r64J.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7r64J.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">鄴</a>3下・44.8<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=29378&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集29378</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/iIntD.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/iIntD.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>公貿鼎<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2719&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2719</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">秦</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="nofollow noreferrer">簡</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/kfV8e.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/kfV8e.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">睡</a>・<a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">法</a>168<br>　</kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Western_Han" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">篆</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jPua5.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jPua5.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>長安鋗<br>　</kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han" rel="nofollow noreferrer">東漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">隸</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Mfnac.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Mfnac.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%AD%94%E5%AE%99%E7%A2%91" rel="nofollow noreferrer">孔宙碑</a>陰<br>　</kbd><kbd>現代<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/VPjCY.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VPjCY.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></h1>

<p><em>Red line in the first form points to the small mark, which later became exaggerated.</em></p>

<p>The mark started being omitted in the Warring States period and completely disappeared after the Western Han.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Shapes that look like「安」before the Warring States without the mark may be considered to be a variant of「賓」instead.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<h1>References:</h1>

<ul>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li>小學堂</li>
<li>國學大師</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-23T07:58:35.613Z
2018-10-23T07:58:35.613Z
dROOOze
<p>A simple question, why does the lower half of 安全 (safe), have the female character: 女 ？</p>

<p>Is it implying that safety pertains only to females being secure? Or is there no such implication?</p>

<p>I'd like to know why 女 was chosen</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-19T05:19:59.283Z
Baidu answer.If you can read Chinese: 宀mián是家室的意思，甲骨文字体“女”是呈跪坐姿态，字义为女子能够安坐家中，是因为外无祸患，内无争端。
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-19T09:39:40.827Z
@dan sorry. I can't read Chinese that well would you mind translating ?
udidosa
<word-choice><glyph-origin><radicals>
Radical choice for 安全
# Radical choice for 安全

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-19)

A simple question, why does the lower half of 安全 (safe), have the female character: 女 ？

Is it implying that safety pertains only to females being secure? Or is there no such implication?

I'd like to know why 女 was chosen

**Tags:** word-choice, glyph-origin, radicals

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Baidu answer.If you can read Chinese: 宀mián是家室的意思，甲骨文字体“女”是呈跪坐姿态，字义为女子能够安坐家中，是因为外无祸患，内无争端。  
> **username_0**: @username_1 sorry. I can't read Chinese that well would you mind translating ?  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-08-20. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Splitting the character 安, we get 宀 + 女.

In oracle bone script, 宀 stands for house, and 女 means bride. The whole caracter means "bride in new house" (i.e. marriage).

In traditional Chinese culture, marrying a girl is a *huge* settlement in a man's life, so 安 means 安定 (settled), 安心 (relieved).

[Reference](http://www.vividict.com/WordInfo.aspx?id=3058) is in full Chinese (so it's a bit hard for learners to read).


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-10-23. Score: 2

The comment by @username_1 is correct -「安」depicts a kneeling girl/woman in a building, indicating the meaning *sitting peacefully* > *peace, quiet*. It does not mean *bride in new house.*

> Please don't use Vividict as a resource. It contains decidedly non-mainstream interpretations.

---

「安」was originally composed of「宀」(*building*),「女」(picture of a kneeling *girl/woman*), and **an extra mark located around the area between the woman's heels and buttocks**, emphasising that the woman is in a kneeling/sitting position.

# `商 甲 enter image description here 鄴3下・44.8 合集29378``西周 金 enter image description here 公貿鼎 集成2719``秦 簡 enter image description here 睡・法168``西漢 篆 enter image description here 長安鋗``東漢 隸 enter image description here 孔宙碑陰``現代 楷 enter image description here`

*Red line in the first form points to the small mark, which later became exaggerated.*

The mark started being omitted in the Warring States period and completely disappeared after the Western Han.

> Shapes that look like「安」before the Warring States without the mark may be considered to be a variant of「賓」instead.

---

# References:

* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* 小學堂
* 國學大師


---

