商

The formation is unclear. The base component is consistently 丙; late-period variants add 口 below. The element placed atop 丙 varies:

# Inverted triangle with a horizontal bar.

# 辛-like form: as type 1, but the tip extends a vertical stroke downward to 丙, with the bar crossing this stroke.

# Bare inverted triangle (▽); possibly the original form of 樴.

# Two instances of type 1 or 2, placed symmetrically left and right.

# Paired round or teardrop-shaped elements, each trailing a stroke down toward 丙.

# 辛-form with star-shaped marks in its quadrants (two or four); possibly a dedicated graph for the Shāng star.

In oracle bone and early Western Zhou bronze script, 賞 is written as 商 over 貝; by mid-Western Zhou the upper part is replaced by 尚.

;dynasty's name

;“to trade” → “trader, merchant”

;“to discuss”