Chinese character 且

Usually “and” or “moreover”; the sentence decides.

In Mandarin, 且 is read qiě in pinyin and can connect qualities or clauses, or add another point. In Japanese, 且つ (かつ, katsu) joins conditions or qualities in formal writing.

Older Chinese texts also use 且 for “for now,” “about to,” “even,” or “or,” depending on the construction. If “and” makes the passage nonsensical, read the whole clause rather than forcing that translation.

Where does 且 come from?

The graph is ancient; its original referent remains debated.

The recognizable form appears in late Shang oracle-bone inscriptions—writing carved on bones or turtle shells for divination—and in later bronze inscriptions, manuscript slips from Chu and Qin, seal script, and clerical script. It developed through writing traditions rather than being designed as a modern icon.

Some traditional explanations read its early form as an offering stand; others see an ancestral tablet. These are proposals, not a settled reading. Traditional character explanations associate 且 with 俎, the character for a sacrificial table or chopping board. In 祖, meaning “ancestor,” 且 is the sound-bearing component alongside 示. These links explain character history; they are not standalone meanings of 且.