申
Shen1
#1,108 most
frequent character
old name for Shanghai 上海[Shang4hai3]
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
申 is a picture of a lightning bolt, so its first meaning was 'lightning.' From there it grew to 'extend' and 'to explain.' The 'ninth Earthly Branch' sense was borrowed for its sound, and the 3–5 PM double hour came from that.
Drawn as: lightning bolt
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