Zi:之

之 [zhī] X’s (possessive marker, like ​的 de); (​古) (​代​词) he/she/it, his/her/its; (HDZ:) ​往, ​到…​去; ​至, ​直​到; ​為…; (​姓) [zhū] ​諸 [zhì] ​志

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 之(​𡳿​㞢) zhī ‘go out/forth’ is said to combine ​屮 chè ‘sprout/branches’, with a horizontal line below representing the ‘surface of the earth’; ​屮 here is as in as in the top of ​木 mù ‘tree’ (only the top is shown, because that is the part of the tree/plant which emerges, goes forth).
    Note: 之(​𡳿) is an old sub-comp. of ​往; the semantic difference between these is discussed under ​适/​適(​𨗁) shì, SW syn. 之 (DYC).
    Note: The old meaning of 之(​𡳿) zhī ‘go out/forth’ suggests its use as the top component in ​先 xiān (​前​进 ‘advance/proceed’); usages of 之 for the genitive/attributive marker ‘of/from’ derive from this (one ‘going out/forth from’ a place is ‘of/from’ that place); cf. ​所之 the place which one has left (​所​去​的​地​方).
    Older graphs associated with 之 are said to have ​止 zhǐ ‘foot’ instead of ​屮; the heel is on the ground, the toes are raised up, as in striding forth.
    Note: It might seem strange that the radical of 之 (3 strokes) is ​丿 piě (radical #4), since ​丿 is not one of the three strokes of 之; but the 2nd stroke ​㇇ (​橫​撇 héngpiě) is a kind of ​丿 piě; and note also the 1st and 3rd strokes of the old variant ​𠔇 (p,n,p,s,tpn), and the 1st stroke (p) of ​𠂒(​𡳿​㞢) as in ​先; in Kangxi the total stroke count of 之 (4 strokes) is counted as if the first component were ​亠 (2 strokes), with the third stroke segment ​丿 (p) of ​㇇ (hp) identified with the radical (cf. 之󰀁⿳​亠​丿​乀).
    Compare: ​生(​𤯓), ​先, ​事, ​寺, ​詩(​𧥳), ​志(​𢗍), ​時(​旹), ​𡴊, ​㞷, ​𡴍.
    HDZ: 之 : zhī : (​甲) ​从​止​从​一, ​人​所之​也; ​往, ​到…​去; ​至, ​直​到; ​為 (​作; ​是); ​有; ​用; ​出; (​代​词) (​他/​她; …; ​其, ​他​的; ​这​个, ​那​个; ​焉); (​副​词) (​已​经; ​则, ​就); (​连​词) (​与, ​及; ​若; …); (​介​词) ​於; (​助​词) (​的; …); ​諸 (zhū); ​志 (zhì); (​姓)
►components: ​丶​㇇​乀​​亠​丿
►references: Guǎngyùn:058.42; Wieger:79b; Karlgren:AD1210,GSR962a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.43.1; Mathews:935; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:82.04; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:004.0.04; Wáng(1993):23; EDOC:1
►Cantonese: ji\
►stroke 之 (... strokes)   
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Unicode: U+4E4B
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