| 方 fāng |
| square ; direction |
| 方圆 fāng yuán |
| 方向 fāng xiàng | |
It is the original form of 枋, meaning “handle of a knife.” In oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, it was knife-shaped, and on the blade of the knife a short horizontal plane was added to be the self-explanatory symbol. Later it was used to men “square” e.g. 方圆, square and round. |