若
rě
#650 most
frequent character
used in 般若[bo1re3], used in 蘭若|兰若[lan2re3]
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
若 is a picture of a kneeling person with wild hair and raised hands, showing submission. That gives the first sense, 'to submit'. Later the character was borrowed for the sound of words meaning 'seem' and 'you', so those senses have no link to the picture. The 'if' sense grew from 'seem'.
Drawn as: kneeling person in submission; uncombed hair
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