四

• Cardinal value: 4.
• Comprehensive/Universal: Used as a qualitative indicator of totality ("all," "everywhere," or the known world), common in references to the directions (四方) or the seas (四海).

In very early texts, the numeral may function as an adjective describing a set rather than a strict cardinal count requiring a classifier.

Variant U+8086 represents orthographic drift (primarily in seal and clerical scripts); these are formal variations that do not alter meaning.

Avoid projecting the modern Mandarin homophony between sì (four) and sǐ (death) into early classical texts, as these sounds were distinct in Old Chinese. Such associations should only be made if there is explicit evidence of a pun or if the text dates to a period where such wordplay was common.