載

zài

load, carry; record, contain; year (classifier)

Meaning

Physical transport: to load, carry, or convey.
Archival/Informational: to record, write down, or contain information. This may function transitively (to record an event) or statively (a text contains/bears an account).
Temporal: a measure word for years.

Grammar and usage

Verb vs. Noun: Can denote the action of loading/transporting or the burden/load itself.
Classifier: When appearing immediately following a numeral, it typically functions as a temporal reading ("year").

Distinctions

Distinction from manual carry: Typically implies transport via a medium or vehicle, rather than carrying by hand.

History and forms

Semantic variant: U+510E.
Simplified form: 载 (U+8F7D).
Paleographic variations in the carriage radical generally do not alter lexical meaning.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.